The Strength of Courage
by EquinoxWolf
Summary: Link is no one's idea of a hero, not even close. But when darkness falls over Hyrule, he is thrown into a perilous adventure that will teach him the virtue of courage and set him on the road to becoming a man. (M for violence, course language and adult themes)
1. 1: Prelude to an Adventure

**The following a non-profit fan fiction story. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the property of Nintendo and its respected partners. Please support the official release.**

* * *

_**No one is born a hero, but a hero can be born in anyone.**_

**Chapter 1: Prelude to an Adventure**

_When the kingdom of Hyrule_

_Falls to evil, dark and cruel_

_Vibrant life will turn to wraith_

_Wandering without sun nor faith_

_In answer to the people's plight_

_The gods will send a hero of light_

_Whom with sacred sword in hand_

_Will banish darkness from the land_

_And only when light and dark are one_

_Will evil's foul reign be over and done._

* * *

"Do you ever feel a strange sadness as the sun sets?" Rusl asked.

The swordsman was unsure exactly why he had said those words. They just came out on their own. Perhaps it had to do with the way the twilight cast the forest under a soft golden cloak, turning the lingering green of autumn leaves to a deep earthy brown. Or perhaps it was the way the world had fallen into lonely silence, disturbed only by the gentle lapping of the spring water at his feet, as the creatures of the day prepared for slumber and handed dominance of the world to those that walked the night. Such an atmosphere was enough to stir buried memories in the old man, many of old regrets and friendships long since ended. It was as though the world itself had paused to take the time to mourn.

The young man sitting beside him said nothing. Instead he glanced curiously at his elder, not quite understanding what had been asked. "They say that it's the time when the spirits of those gone from this world are closest to us," Rusl continued, "looking back with regret and remembering all that they had left behind. Their sorrow seeps out and is felt by the living during the hour of twilight."

The youth of seventeen, a few months shy of adulthood, continued to watch Rusl with crystal blue eyes as he contemplated the idea. He lowered his gaze to the ground and causing his scruffy, sand-coloured hair to fall in thick locks, far different to the swordsman's short, light brown hair. Beneath the boy's shirt, Rusl could see his strong muscles moving ever so slightly as his fingers picked at the grass pensively. The motion drew the older man's attention to the marking on the back his companion's left hand.

Three black triangles stood out in stark contrast to his tanned skin, touching at the points so that they made a single, larger triangle. The shape was no common birthmark; far from it. It was the sacred symbol of the goddesses that created the world, and legends told that those few individuals blessed with their favour were destined for great things. But such destinies were never free of pain or anguish, for often was the case that bearers were called upon to play some instrumental role in times of despair.

_When the kingdom of Hyrule_

_Falls to evil, dark and cruel_

Not for the first time, those lines came to mind from an old prophecy Rusl had heard as a lad, and to this day they would still send chills down his spine. There were many prophecies in Hyrule that foretold of pending doom, some of which had already come true, but for some reason that particular one haunted the old man the most.

_In answer to the people's plight_

_The gods will send a hero of light_

That part of the verse concerned the swordsman the most. Whenever Hyrule was under threat, a hero would always appear to protect the kingdom. In many cases the heroes bore the blessing of Farore, the great goddess of courage, and were renowned for being mighty warriors of compassionate hearts. But the honour of being the hero was also a curse, for he was the one to face the most gruelling of trials, to lead the charge to battle, and to defeat the enemy in a final stand. Rusl prayed for the boy's sake that his life would pass without that sort of fate, and that their kingdom was not about to come to crisis. Goddesses knew that it was too soon since the last one.

He shook his head to rid the dark thoughts. "Enough of this talk of sadness. There's something I want to ask you, Link."

Link let the green blades drop from his fingers and turned to his elder. "What is it?"

"A few days from now I plan to ride to Castle Town. The mayor's sending me to deliver the village's tribute to the royal family. I was wondering if you would like to accompany me."

The interest that had been in the boy's eyes was quickly replaced by apprehension. He looked away. "You want me to come with you...?" he asked quietly. "Are you sure about that, Dad?"

_Dad_... Rusl was not truly Link's father, not by blood. However he had raised the boy since before he could crawl, and loved him as if he were his own. Rusl had trained him with the sword and shield himself, and the youth demonstrated early on a natural talent that Rusl had never seen before in his life. Though that gave him great pride for his surrogate son, it also concerned the swordsman as his fears became more well-founded.

Rusl understood his student's nervousness. Despite his skill and ability, there had always been one problem that held Link back. The boy was timid. He disliked violence greatly, and although that was a valuable mindset for any swordsman, the boy's aversion sorely affected his training. Link's movements were precise, his reflexes swift and his defences strong, but it was often for him to hesitate before attacking, and when he did strike it was without sufficient force. If Link was to ever be made responsible for guarding their village as his mentor had, and the older man knew that day may come sooner than he hoped, Rusl fretted about how he would cope against a sudden invasion.

Rusl wondered if this disposition had anything to do with how he brought up his son. His other son Colin shared a similar demeanour to his older brother, so it wouldn't be surprising. Rusl discarded his doubts, though. He had done the best he knew how to raise his children and had no reason to be ashamed of them. Both boys were kind, honest and helpful, traits any decent person should have. It didn't help that his wife mollycoddled them to no end, but Rusl knew that the fault was most likely in the environment that they had grown up in. Ordona was a peaceful province removed from the rest of Hyrule, so there had never been any real danger that would have stiffened the boys' spines. It may be that a chance to see the greater world and explore the unfamiliar would boost Link's confidence, and that was the reason behind Rusl's proposition.

"Of course I am," he answered with a broad grin. "You've never been outside the forest before, have you? Hyrule holds many wonders besides the ones you see here, and the capital is one of the grandest. It's a city far larger than our little Ordon, with different sorts of people everywhere you look. On top of that there's the castle, more magnificent than anything you could possibly imagine. And inside the castle is where Princess Zelda sits the throne. It's said she's as beautiful as she is wise. If you come, you might be lucky enough to meet her yourself." Rusl laughed heartily, hoping that had the desired effect.

Link did not share in the laughter, and instead chewed his lip for a time. When he spoke at last he said, "Okay... I guess I could." He's tone was uncertain, but for Rusl it was a start.

"There's nothing to worry about," he assured him. "The capital is only a day's ride even on a slow horse, and Epona's one of the fastest I've ever seen." He pointed a thumb at the reddish-brown giant of a mare drinking several paces away. Her saddle was laden with firewood collected from a good day's foraging. Andel, the old chestnut gelding beside her, was similarly burdened as he grazed contently on the long grass. "Not to mention that the roads are safe for the most part. We're unlikely to come across any trouble we couldn't handle."

Looking up at the darkened sky, Rusl realised with a start how late it was getting. "We should be getting back. I'll speak with the mayor about this matter."

He picked up the cane by his side and moved to stand. In spite of his great care, a bolt of agony shot up from the swordsman's knee, a reminder of an old battle wound that never healed properly. Link got to his feet with all the ease of young man's body and took hold of Epona's reins. Meanwhile Rusl did the same with his own horse. Dull pain throbbed whenever he took a step, though it was nothing he couldn't handle. Rusl much preferred to feel his discomfort than sit around doing nothing all day. He had been an active man throughout his life, and the thought of kicking back and taking it easy never really appealed to him. A few hours at a time was no problem, but it was not something he wished to do for the rest of his days. That's what life as a soldier did to you sometimes.

The narrow path opened up to the gaping ravine where the Faron and Ordona Provinces were divided. A single bridge spanned the abyss, just wide enough for the two horses to walk comfortably abreast. The Farona Bridge was a sturdy structure and its thick ropes didn't sway an inch under their shifting weight. The wood it was built from, harvested from the deeper reaches of the Faron Woods, was strong and difficult to set alight. Although it made for terrible firewood, its value for constructing houses and fences that could withstand the worst conditions was without comparison.

At the other side of the bridge was a large wooden gate. Rusl dipped a hand into his pocket and fished out a key to lock the doors behind them. Built from the same material, the gate served as the village's first defence from wild animals that would prey on the livestock. It could also hold off an invasion if necessary, since an attacker would need a great deal of force to break the gates, or a lot of time to cut through the wood with a sharp axe. But the likelihood of such an attack ever happening was fanciful at best. After all, what was there in Ordon that was that valuable to anyone? Goats and pumpkins weren't that hard to come by.

Rusl was grateful that they were almost home. As they passed the village spring, he made a silent prayer of thanks for another day of peace. Ordon was not much further. It was a small community with a population of only fourteen, but it was a pleasant place to live and the neighbours were a tight-knit bunch. By the lake that was their main supply of water, Rusl and Link left the wood they gathered in the storehouse where it would be safe and dry for winter fast approaching.

They turned to find a pair of figures walking towards them. The smaller one, a boy of eleven with short blonde hair quickened his pace to a jog before he wrapped his arms around his father. With a warm smile, the swordsman ruffled his son's hair then looked up to met his wife's tender gaze. He stepped away from the younger child and embraced her, mindful to be gentle with her growing belly.

"How did you go today?" Uli asked him, looking deep into his eyes. "Any problems I should know about?"

Rusl smiled at her. He understood her anxieties. "No worse than usual," he answered, brushing a stray golden strand of hair from his love's face. It was all that was required to soothe her.

A smile of her own was the woman's response. She turned to face Link, who stood to the side brushing his horse's shaggy white hair with his hand. "Will you be coming over to dinner tonight?" she asked fondly.

The adolescent nodded. "I'll be there soon. I just need to take Epona back home." With that, he took hold of Epona's reins again and led her back to the village entrance where he lived alone, being old enough by Ordon's standards to live apart from his family.

Like his wife, Rusl watched the young man go. Tonight he would have to inform Uli about the arrangements he had made just minutes before. He furrowed his brow. She, Rusl knew, was not going to be as easy to convince as Link to agree to this. Hopefully she won't be as bad as he was expecting her to be.

* * *

Link walked up the road to the place he called home, Epona following obediently. The house he lived in was quaint yet at the same time quite peculiar. Among the pines, the multi-storey structure had been built atop the cliff at the side of the path, its front door was five meters off the ground and only accessible by the ladder fitted against the rock. The natural stone foundation was deceptively hollow as it concealed a large basement underneath the main building. It wasn't much to boast about but Link was content with the house he had. He led Epona into her little shelter outside and filled her troughs with fresh hay and water. Next he unloaded the last few logs hanging from her saddle and moved them over to the wooden platform by the ladder. Before he had the chance to climb up and operate the lift, a pair of hands appeared from behind and covered Link's eyes.

"Guess who?" chimed a girl's voice. He recognised it instantly and grinned.

"Is that you, Jaggle?" Link pulled the hands away from his face and turned around. The expression he met was one of mild annoyance, belonging to a teenage girl with short dirty-blonde hair and a cowlick poking out from behind her neck. She folded her arms across her sleeveless white shirt.

"Really? _Jaggle_? I don't even sound anything like him, you dummy," she scolded playfully.

Link chuckled. "Sorry, Ilia. Your voice does have a kind of gruffness to it, though." She shoved him hard for that, but from the smile on her face he knew he was already forgiven.

"It does not," Ilia protested. She then turned her attention towards Epona and patted her affectionately on the neck. The animal nickered in contentment.

The lifelong friends climbed up and sat on the porch together, watching the sun's light slowly vanishing beyond the trees. The crickets of the forest burst into song from their hiding places. A flock of sparrows added their voices to the orchestra. And if you strained your ears, you could also make out the frogs croaking low from the spring.

Ilia closed her green eyes and listened. She relished these moments when she could sit back and appreciate the beauty of nature. She especially enjoyed sharing these opportunities with Link, her closest friend for as long as she could remember. They often spent the last hour of the day together, just relaxing and watching the sun go down. There weren't that many other things to do living in a remote farming community, but it was the little things in life that Ilia found to be the most breathtaking.

She opened her eyes again, expecting to see Link smiling up to the heavens, but instead his expression was quite the opposite. He continued to stare upwards, however his slight frown suggested that something serious was on his mind. The joy she had been feeling withered away as worry infected her as well. Ilia gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow and snapped him out of his stupor.

"Hey? What's up?" she asked.

He blinked at her a few times. "Huh? Oh... It's nothing, really," His hand came up and rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit that Ilia knew too well of.

"I doubt it. Come on, you can tell me."

Link looked to her as she smiled encouragingly at him. With a sigh, he leaned back and rested his weight on his hands. "Well... My dad just asked me to do something for him. He wants me to go with him when he delivers the tribute to Princess Zelda."

Ilia's eyes lit up. "Really? That's amazing! You should be excited about that."

He grimaced slightly. "I know I should, but why would he ask me rather than anyone else in the village? I've never left the forest before, and I wouldn't know what to do when I meet the princess. What if I end up embarrassing myself in front of her and make Ordon look bad?"

Despite the seriousness in his voice, Ilia couldn't help but giggle at him. "Link, I honestly don't think the princess will expect you to be perfect. So long as you're polite and remember to bow to her you'll probably be fine. And besides, it's not like you're going alone. Just do what your dad does and everything should turn out alright."

He turned away from the smirk she was giving him. Link still wasn't completely sure about it all, but the way Ilia always simplified things did make him feel a lot better. "I guess you're right. Dad wouldn't ask me to do something like this if he thought I was going to mess it up," he relented.

"There you go," she said, clapping him on the shoulder. Ilia placed her hands on her lap and lowered her gaze. "You know, I'm kind of jealous of you." Her bare feet kicked the empty air subconsciously. He stared at her but did not reply, simply waiting for her to go on.

"I've always wondered what it's like out there in the rest of Hyrule. I hear everyone talking about how different everything is. There aren't so many trees in the other provinces. And besides us, Hyrule is also home to the gorons and zora, who are unlike us in so many ways, and they say there are even yetis in the far north. I'd love to go and see it for myself one day, even if it's just for a short while. It would be so much nicer than just spending my whole life here where everything stays the same day after day."

She met his gaze and held it firmly. "You should go and see as much of what's out there as you can. Make it into an adventure, something you can look back on someday and remember how incredible it felt discovering something new."

Link couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face. Her sincere enthusiasm was contagious. He suddenly felt excited himself. "Dad should have gotten your help to talk me into this. Okay, I'll go. And when I get back, I'll tell you about everything I saw on my journey." She beamed at him, glad to hear him being more positive.

A cold breeze then blew, causing Ilia to shiver. She rubbed her hands against the goose bumps on her arms to warm herself. When that failed, she shuffled closer to Link and pressed herself against his body. He stared at her, baffled.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm cold," she replied briskly. "This is supposed to be the best way to keep two people warm."

"Aside from wearing warmer clothes," he countered. Nonetheless he placed an arm around her shoulders as she did similar. "That's what you get when you don't dress for the season."

She gave him a soft glare. "You're not dressed much better," looking at his short sleeves.

Link shrugged. "I can handle the cold better than you can. I feel fine." The young girl huffed and didn't say any more.

Ilia felt better soaking in Link's warmth. His touch was gentle and calming in spite of the hard muscle in his arms, developed over a lifetime of labour. He smelt of the forest they lived in, fresh and fragrant, coupled with the musky scent of the animals he worked with. She could always find comfort in Link's presence. It wasn't because he made her feel safe or overly happy, but more because she knew she could share just about anything with him, like she knew he could with her. He was the person she trusted the most in their little world.

It was only natural that they would be so close. They were the nearest to each other's age than anyone else in the village. There were other kids in Ordon but the oldest of them was Talo, who was twelve. Although she loved them all like siblings, and she was sure Link felt the same, they were still too young for the kind of company the teenagers really wanted. Out of the adults, Fado was the closest in age although he was six years their senior. That had meant there had been a barrier as they were growing up, and that same relationship that Link and Ilia shared just wasn't there with the goatherd. For much of their lives, it was just her and the swordsman's apprentice.

Maybe it was because of this that Ilia had begun to feel something special for Link. She turned to him and admired how serene he was, how the last rays of sun made his hair shine with a beautiful quality, and how his clear eyes gleamed like sapphires. His elven features derived from an ancient hylian lineage, particularly his chin, nose and pointed ears, set him apart from everyone else with their rougher features. Those sharp angles and slight curves made him look handsome, almost prince-like in her eyes. Without knowing it she held him tighter.

Lately Ilia had been watching the married couples in Ordon from afar, envious of their love that was so obviously shared. Over time she had become drawn to Link in a way she never had before. She dabbled in fantasies of embracing him intimately, of kissing him, of one day sharing a home with him and growing old together. Ilia wondered if he secretly shared her feelings.

They were so close then that her heart fluttered and her thoughts became fuzzy. She was sorely tempted to say something then and there. The lure grew stronger, steadily overcoming her reservations. Ilia opened her mouth and felt the words rise up to her throat.

"Link!" a voice cried, but it wasn't hers. Both she and Link snapped their eyes to the village gate, where Colin hailed them from below. "Mom says dinner's ready."

Disappointment fell on Ilia as the boy's brother removed his arm from her to wave in response. "Okay, I'll be right over," Link called. He shifted himself over to the ladder and swung around so that he was facing Ilia.

"Sorry. Got to go," he told her. "See you later?"

Ilia forced a smile. "Sure. See you later." Grinning back at her, Link climbed down and turned his back to walk away. The girl's smile vanished as he went and let out a sigh. She rolled back so that she was staring up at the sky, now almost completely dark. _Oh well. Maybe next time,_ she thought.

* * *

His mother's cooking was second to none in Link's opinion, the best in the world probably. He took another spoonful of his catfish soup. It had been made to perfection with just the right amount of potatoes, goat cheese and spices to give it flavour and counteract the oiliness of the key ingredient. It was one of his favourite dishes growing up. When his bowl was empty, Link grabbed a slice of freshly baked bread to mop up the last remnants of soup before cramming it into his mouth.

The rest of his family were enjoying the meal as well, seated around a small table in their circular dining room. Rusl had already finished his first serving and dug into a second with gusto. Colin, on the other hand, ate at a more leisurely pace, swishing the broth in his mouth and appreciating the creamy taste before swallowing. Uli saw that Link was done and smiled at him sweetly. "Would you like some more, dear?"

"Yes please," he replied eagerly, holding up his bowl. She took it and walked over to the iron pot above the fire to refill it generously. Link blew on the first bite carefully before shoving it past his lips.

As Uli made to refill Colin's now empty bowl, Link looked to his right to speak to his father. "So how long until we leave?"

"What's this?" his mother inquired, glancing back to the table. Rusl's eyes went wide.

"Dad's taking me to Castle Town to help deliver the tribute," Link answered her.

Uli turned back towards the fire without a word. The room fell so silent that Link could hear the ladle creaking from her tightening grip. He noticed his father flinch in the corner of his vision. Across the table, Colin looked about as nervous as Link was beginning to feel. An odd sense told him that he may have said something that he probably shouldn't have.

"When was this arranged?" Uli finally asked. Her tone carried a cold flatness to it.

Link's hand rose to the base of his neck. "This afternoon," was his meek reply.

"I still need to make the finishing touches to the gift, so we won't be going until at least the day after tomorrow," Rusl spoke curtly after another pause.

Link was starting to become very uncomfortable. Then his mother returned to her chair wearing her usual pleasant smile. "Well doesn't that sound wonderful? You must be excited," she chimed as she handed Colin his second helping. The younger boy quickly busied himself with eating.

"Yeah..." Link warily replied. _Wonder_ was definitely the word to describe what had just happened. "I wasn't really sure at first, but now I want to see what Hyrule's like."

"Then I hope you enjoy yourself. Just try to be careful, won't you dear?"

Link nodded. "Sure, Mom, you know me."

* * *

The conversation fell after that, although no one complained. After they all had their fill and the dishes were cleared, Link thanked Uli for dinner and left for home tired and ready for sleep. Once Rusl had sent Colin off to his room for the night, his wife suddenly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him outside. Trying to keep up with her hurried pace did no benefit for his aching leg. She turned him to face her hard glare. The swordsman's heart sank to his stomach in dread.

"When were you planning to tell me about any of this?" she growled. He didn't need her to explain what she meant, nor did he dare to.

"I didn't think it was necessary," Rusl responded evenly. He saw the outrage building in her eyes so he quickly added, "Link is a grown man now; very responsible and mature. It was his choice alone whether to accept my offer or not."

"He's never been outside of the woods before," she argued. "What if something happens to him? What if he gets hurt?!"

Rusl placed a gentle hand onto her shoulder. "I'll be with him every step of the way. Even so, he's more than capable of looking after himself." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "You can't keep him in this village forever; no matter how much I know you want to. One day he may have to leave us and there will be nothing either of us can do to stop him."

"He's just a boy, Rusl!" Uli cried. She always hated discussing this subject. "He's not a warrior or a soldier like you were. He doesn't deserve to be forced into that kind of life!" He placed his arms around her and she erupted into tears, sinking her head onto his chest.

"I know," he said, stroking her hair as she sobbed freely. "But it's not up to us to decide that. It might be that he'll spend his entire life without having to use a sword, but if not then he will need us to have faith in him."

He wasn't sure what effect that had. "I just don't want to risk him getting killed," Rusl finally heard. "He won't even have a choice himself in any of it. It's not fair."

"Few things in this world are." He pushed her away so that she could see the small, reassuring smile he gave her. "We're likely worrying over nothing. This is just a simple errand Link and I are doing. We'll be there and back in a few days, no more. I doubt anything terrible will happen in that amount of time."

Uli seemed calmer at hearing that and nodded in response. Rusl was relieved but his own fears were not sated, for he knew too well that the worst catastrophes often occurred all too suddenly. And he had a feeling in his bones that something was about to go wrong.

So very, terribly wrong.

* * *

**Hello, everyone. I'm back with a new story and yes, it is a retelling of Twilight Princess.**

**You would have noticed a few changes that may have left you a little confused. While I wanted to do a retelling for some time now, doing it exactly how the game played out would have been extremely tedious and boring. So I've gone and mixed a number of things to keep the story as fresh as possible, with several major deviations later on. **

**The idea of the retelling has been used countless times before, but I hope to stand out with this story as a few other authors have already done with theirs. I never really took an interest in some attempts of retellings that state in their summaries that they will be unique; so instead of telling you The Strength of Courage will be unique, I decided just to jump in and show you. And if you made it this far, you might agree that I sold it better than some people. The summary is probably one of the most important elements to get right.**

**Given how long I expect this story to be, the number of chapters I have written so far, and my real life commitments in the coming months, I will be updating this story a little less frequently as I have previously. Chapters will be uploaded approximately every two weeks instead of the usual one week. **

**So feel free to follow and review as they give me greater encouragement to keep writing. I await your feedback and responses with anticipation.**


	2. 2: Just an Everyday Goatherd?

**Hey, all. Man, waiting two weeks was agitating, but my patience has paid off and I have a good idea of how things are standing.**

**Disappointed by the low number of reviews (thank you to tetraforce theory and my beta-reader Scarlet Curls, by the way), but I expected as much since it was the very first chapter and I have yet to truly show this story's potential. A special thank you as well to those wonderful few who are following so far. Any feedback you have on this story is greatly appreciated as it can influence the quality of the pending chapters.**

**Recently I started reading an article series from ZeldaInformer about some flaws identified in the original game's plot. I loved the game to bits but I couldn't help agreeing with some of the points made out. I suppose it is a good thing I'm doing this and is probably the key reason so many of us fans are writing stories. While I already had a good idea on what I wanted to do throughout this story, the articles have given me some additional ideas to improve various elements, so I also thank ZeldaInformer for their critical insight. **

**I should also mention that I've rated this story M for a reason and have updated the summary to advise readers on the content. If you are under sixteen, please consult your parents before reading this story; or don't if you are a disobedient rebel, I'm not one to judge here.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Just an Everyday Goatherd?**

Dark clouds consumed the sky, permitting only veins of soft golden light to pass through. The thick cloak of foreboding twilight hung over the blackened land with an unrelenting grasp, locking the world in an eerie stillness. There was no life to be seen in any direction. No animals. No vegetation. Not even grass. Everything was so barren. It was cold as well, so unsettlingly cold. A sense of dread crawled its way down Link's spine. His breath became short and panicked but he wasn't sure why.

An ill feeling made him turn, where he laid eyes on a shadowy figure towering behind him. At first glance it looked like a demon, but something told Link that the man-shaped entity was something far worse. Armour black as the darkest void encased powerful muscle like an impenetrable hide of scales. The being was taller than him by half of his height, forcing Link to crane his neck to see its head. Cruel, golden eyes bore down at him with a malevolence that made the boy's heart stop. There was no escape from the power they exuded. It was as though they demanded absolute dominance with no hope for compromise.

The fiend lifted one gauntleted hand, wielding a luminous long-sword with incredible ease. The blade rose above its master's head, its unforgiving edge trained straight at Link. Fear froze him in place, preventing him from even contemplating fleeing. The sword and shield he held became heavy. He couldn't move. He couldn't even scream as the sword of light descended upon him. Before the weapon made contact, a voice sliced through the terrible silence.

"LINK!"

* * *

Link's eyes flew open as fast as lightning, accompanied by a short scream escaping his lips. His breathing was rapid and his heart pounding madly inside his chest. It took him a few seconds to realise he was lying in his bed, drenched in cold sweat. He sat up and looked around his circular house, lit up by the morning sun raining gently through the skylight. Nothing was out of place. Link ran a trembling hand through his hair as he tried to calm himself.

It was just a nightmare, he told himself. He was home. He was safe. There was nothing here or anywhere trying to end his life. Slowly but surely, the beating against his ribs receded to a normal pace and he was able to think reasonably again. It was just a nightmare.

But was it really, though? Link knew he had been dreaming, yet the scene that had played before him was so vivid. He could still remember the unnatural silence all too clearly. The golden eyes he had seen continued to glare at him inside in his mind in great detail. And the cold... He was pretty sure you couldn't feel temperature inside a dream. It felt more like a memory than anything else; there was no other way to describe it.

Though what was it he had just seen? Something terrible had been leering down at him, trying to cleave him in two as if he was just a simple block of firewood. Link wrapped his arms around his chest, hands gripping his arms tightly. Something deep inside of him believed the dream was warning him of danger, but what was it and what did any of it mean?

"LIIIIIIIINK!"

The shout jolted Link out of his thoughts. He looked towards the window where the bright morning sun spilled in. Throwing off the dampened sheets, Link stood and walked over to it, recognising the voice before he saw its owner. Outside he saw Fado staring upwards. As soon as the other villager spotted him, he waved.

"Hey Link, ye mind helpin' me out with the goats?" Fado cried. "They're real skittish and haven't been listenin' to me lately."

"Sure thing," he shouted back. "I'll be down in a second."

Fado nodded in acknowledgement as Link hummed to himself. In the last few days, he and the other villagers had noticed a disturbing change in the farm animals. They became nervous, never staying in one spot for longer than three seconds. Some had refused to eat and at least two of the goats had started acting unusually aggressive. Even the forest animals were behaving oddly. It seemed that many of them have disappeared, making hunting more difficult. The biggest concern was the monkeys native to the Faron Woods, who recently started coming into the village to cause mischief. Everyone believed it had to do with the weather or something, though no one had ever heard of such a thing occurring before. Link hadn't put too much thought into it himself. He had been too busy trying to keep the animals in check and stop them from running off.

Link turned away from the window to get dressed. The pants he was wearing would do for now, creased as they were. He opened a chest at the foot of his bed and picked out a new shirt, sleeveless and pure white. The next garment was a blue rough-spun kilt that was part of the traditional clothing in Ordon. The purpose of the tough man-skirts was to protect the farmers' clothes from the thorny brambles that were common around their forest home.

Link tied this around his waist tightly then picked out a sleeve of green fabric that went onto his upper arm, marking him as an apprentice swordsman. When he completed his training, he would receive another one for the other arm, like his father wore. Link then kicked his feet into a pair of sandals and he was ready to go.

Brushing his bedhead down as best as he could, he walked down the stairs to the first landing, where the living room shared space with the kitchen. Since the goats were acting up and Fado was waiting at his door, Link opted to forego breakfast against his belly's protests. He exited the house and descended the ladder to meet his friend at ground level.

Fado stood a great deal taller than Link and was broader in most places, including his exceptionally wide nose. The man's bare arms were ripped with large muscles, strong enough to heave a full barrel onto his shoulder with little effort. A similar sleeveless white shirt to Link's stretched across the other man's torso, while a multi-layered kilt covered his legs. In contrast to his intimidating size, the goatherd's face and speech were both soft and friendly.

"Thanks, bud," he said, scratching at his close-cropped brown hair. "Sorry about wakin' y'all this early, but I'm kinda desperate here."

"Don't worry about it. I just woke up anyway" Link replied with a forced smile.

Fado grinned appreciatively then turned his gaze away and frowned. "Hey, where's Epona?"

Blinking, Link spun around to find the stable empty and his red mare nowhere to be seen. Even though Link never locked her in, Epona was exceptionally well-trained so it was atypical of her to wonder off on her own. The lad sighed and shook his head. "Ilia's probably taken her again. I'll go find her and meet you at the ranch."

Fado nodded. "Sure thin'. I'll see y'all there."

It didn't faze Link much that his horse had been taken. Ilia had held a deep fondness for Epona ever since she was little, and had developed a tendency to 'borrow' her whenever Link wasn't looking. Usually when this happened, she took Epona to the Spring of Ordona to wash her. Link didn't mind this too much as he wasn't as good at remembering to groom Epona himself regularly, which annoyed Ilia. It wasn't that he didn't care about his horse, he did so very much. However, with all the tasks Link had to complete each day, including his work at the ranch, tending to the crops and training with his father, it was easy for simple things like keeping Epona clean to slip his mind. Letting Ilia's antics go on merely saved him a bit of hassle.

A short walk from his house later and the village spring was exactly where he found the illusive mare. Epona stood perfectly still in the ankle-deep water as Ilia rubbed a wet towel against her flank. Beside her feet, a bucket rested on its side and rolled slightly in the gentle flow. The girl was completely absorbed in her work, gazing at the horse with a soft smile and dreamy eyes. The corners of Link's mouth turned upwards from watching her. Epona was the first to acknowledge him, greeting her master with a low whinny. The sound roused Ilia from her trance and made her turn towards Link as he walked up to her, meeting him with a wider smile.

"Morning, Link. Sorry about taking Epona. I was going to give her back before you had to start work."

He noticed that her clothes were soaked, allowing him to see the faint outline of her underclothes. Link quickly averted his gaze and tried to focus on the altar standing at the back of the pool. Positioned on the tall stone plinth was a goat's head carved from horn staring at the adolescents with blank eyes. The statuette was dedicated to the spirit believed to dwell in the spring, and gave Link the feeling that they weren't without an audience. It seemed a bit superstitious, but it was enough to deter the young hylian from certain indulgences.

"It's okay," Link replied, blushing. "But I kind of need Epona right now. Fado's having trouble with the goats again and needs me to give him a hand."

The girl nodded. As he collected Epona's saddle from the bank and strapped it to the animal's back, Ilia's mouth opened then snapped shut. Now wasn't a good time. Link tugged at the leather reins and turned Epona towards the track. If the young hylian had looked back, he would have seen the dejected green eyes trained on him, wishing that he would stay.

* * *

When Link arrived at the ranch with Epona, things were a greater mess than he had expected. Normally Fado would let the goats out of the barn in the morning and lead them to the field to graze. Today, however, the animals seemed to have other ideas. Twenty beasts wandered around aimlessly, each with shaggy, grey hair and two long horns that curled inward to conjoin in an oval shape above the head. Whenever Fado came near one to try and catch it, the goat would dart away. The fourth goat didn't take kindly to being chased and turned on the farmer with a wild fury.

Link gave Epona's reins a flick and rode in to drive off the maddened buck. While it would charge at a man standing on his own two feet, it cowered away from the approaching horse just as easily as the others. Link didn't fully understand it, but there was something about Epona that demanded respect from the smaller creatures. Whether it was her imposing bulk or her hooves as large as a man's head or something else entirely, it did not matter. With her around, controlling the goats was much simpler.

Riding fast on Epona's back; feeling the wind ripping through his hair; it made Link feel alive. He leaned forward and snapped the reins over and over eagerly, urging her to accelerate. Epona was more than happy to comply, galloping as fast as her powerful legs could move. Adrenaline coursed through Link's veins and heightened his senses. The excitement built itself inside his core until he could no longer hold in the pressure. Link took a deep breath and whooped at the goats as loud as he pleased.

The noise drove the beasts harder, now moving together like a flowing river through the shallow mountains of Ordona. A few moaned in alarm. Others tried to break away from the herd. Link altered his course to cut the runners off and push them back in line with curt shout. This was what Link did most every day, but he enjoyed it then just as much as he had when he first started working with Fado. To able to go as fast as he wanted; to do whatever he felt like; to be able to live entirely in the moment; that was the very definition of freedom for Link. There were few other things he would rather being doing right now. He wouldn't give any of this up for the world.

It was too soon when the goats began filing into the grazing field. As soon as the last one was through, Fado raced up and shut the gate behind it as quickly as he could. The short chase had given the goats an appetite and many had begun to nibble at the grass where they stood. Link reached forward and rewarded his faithful steed with a pat on the neck. Epona nickered in contentment before lowering her head to feast as well. Link hopped down from the saddle and walked over to meet Fado stroking the back of one of the smaller does.

"Thanks for the help today, bud," the big man grinned. "Sorry about draggin' y'all out of bed so early."

Link shrugged and gave a reassuring smile. "No problem. I think the only one who loves chasing goats more than me is Epona."

Fado chuckled in response then turned to watch the herd solemnly. "Jus' wish we could work out what's botherin' the critters. Feels like they know somethin' we don't, ye know?"

His partner nodded. "Sort of. Epona's been acting a little odd too. She's always looking around as if she's expecting something bad to happen. She also follows me when we're out in the woods without me telling her to. It's like she's trying to protect me or something."

"Well, she sure is loyal," Fado smiled half-heartedly. His hand dipped into his pocket and re-emerged with four red crystals. He passed them over to Link.

"You don't usually pay me until the end of the week," the youth said.

"After this I figured ye deserved it a bit early," Fado answered.

Each of the multifaceted jewels was hexagonal in shape and weighed about the same as a cucco egg. They were called rupees, and were the currency used in many kingdoms including Hyrule. They also came in different colours. Green ones had the lowest value. Blue rupees were worth five greens, and yellow ones were worth ten. The red crystals were worth twenty rupees, and purples were fifty. There were also orange, silver and gold rupees that were worth far more, but those were hard to come by and only the very rich in Castle Town had and used them.

"Hey, how about y'all take the rest of the day off. Now that the goats have calmed down some, I can take it from here."

Link beamed at that. "Seriously? Wow, thanks Fado." It wasn't common for Link to get to slack off that much, and this would give him a chance to prepare for his trip, which reminded him. "Oh hey, my dad asked me to go to Castle Town with him last night. Don't know yet when we're leaving, but I won't be here to help out for a couple of days. Is that okay with you?"

The goatherd made a gesture with his hand. "Aye, no worries. I can try to get the mayor to help out if I get any more trouble. If not, I'll jus' have to hurry up and fix that gate," he said, referring to the main gate that separated the ranch from the village. A few days ago a couple of the goats rammed at it in a desperate attempt to escape and broke it before he and Link could drive them off.

"Hey Link, how about I set up the fences for a bit of jumpin' before ye go?"

At the word 'jumping', Epona raised her head to the two men. Link chuckled as her ears twitched in anticipation. "Sure, that'd be great."

Within ten minutes, both ranchers had a series of short wooden fences erected all over the place. One of Link's other favourite pastimes was guiding Epona through the short obstacle course a few times, occasionally aiming to beat a personal record. This time, however, they went at a leisurely pace, particularly since Ilia recently gave him an earful for nearly hurting the horse with a badly angled jump. Epona hadn't been affected by the near miss in any negative way, though Link had this odd sense that she was miffed at herself for the minor failure. Once he had his fill, Link waved Fado goodbye and rode off for home, eager to sate the hungry growls of his stomach.

* * *

Link was feeling much better after a hot omelette breakfast and a mug of fresh milk to wash it down. As soon as he had washed the dirty dishes and cleared them away, he began combing the house for things he would need for his journey. Obviously he should have some spare clothes with him, and some foodstuff for the road wouldn't hurt either. There was also the chance that they might have to camp overnight if they didn't reach the capital before nightfall, so Link grabbed a blanket just in case. A flint would also be essential if a warm fire was ever needed. All of these went into a knapsack on his bed, except for the blanket. Link would have to remember to tie that onto Epona's saddle when they left.

He had almost managed to get the bloated bag to close when a piercing shout startled him. "Hey, Link!" The hide flap sprang open again and Link groaned at the wasted effort. He walked over to the window to see who was calling him.

Four young children stood in the clearing. At the centre was Talo wearing a red bandana over his messy brunette hair, eyes round with youthful confidence. Beside him, his younger brother Malo reached as tall as his shoulder, aided in the last few inches by the blue ribbon atop his chubby head. Beth, holding her hands on her hips, was a year younger than Talo and stood at his opposite side. Colin hung at the back of the group with his hands held together shyly at his front. The youngsters all stared up at the house, waiting for an answer.

Seeing Link's face, Talo cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted again. "Hey, Link! Come on, there's something we want to tell you!"

Talo was clearly excited about whatever news he had, though that was the only real clue he had. Malo's apathetic face bore so little emotion most of the time that it was disturbing for someone his age. Beth's heavy-lidded eyes and small, superior smirk only hinted at her amusement towards Talo's bursting energy. From Colin, Link could get nothing. His brother kept his gaze low as usual.

Link waved back a response and abandoned his packing to meet the kids outside, wondering what the matter was. "Hey, guys. What's up?" he asked them once his foot touched the grass.

"Link, guess what?" Talo chimed, his voice breaking slightly as he reached the early stages of puberty. "Beth's mom is selling a slingshot at her shop. A slingshot!" Link grinned as the boy waved his arms about animatedly. He remembered Fado once having a slingshot in their younger days and could understand the boy's excitement.

"What's so special about a stupid slingshot?" Colin mumbled. He was so quiet it was a surprise that anyone heard him. Talo shot back a look through the corner of his eye but otherwise ignored him. He then looked back to Link again.

"We saw it earlier and it was so cool! I wish I had one."

Beth crossed her arms with a short huff. "Talo, if you want it so badly then why don't you just buy it?" The boy turned to her.

"I can't afford something like that," he whined irritably. "Our allowances suck. I'd never get that kind of cash in a million years.

"It's true..." Malo grumbled softly. "We'd make more money cutting grass than what our parents give us..."

"Come on, Beth. Can't you just let me borrow it for a little while?" Talo pleaded. The girl's face contorted into a frown.

"You know I'll get in trouble for that!" she said crossly. "Save up your rupees if you really want it. You earn enough to buy my dad's honeycomb every week."

Talo fell to his knees in front of her. "Please Beth, I'm begging you. I'll do anything. I'll do your chores. I'll pick you those berries you like. I'll eat a bug!"

"You'd eat a bug anyway," Malo remarked, the faintest of smirks appearing on his lips.

His brother twisted to him bearing a hot glare and even hotter cheeks. "No one asked you."

Meanwhile Link exchanged a look with Colin, neither believing what they were hearing. "Do you know how much it costs?" he asked him in a hushed tone. His little brother nodded.

"It's thirty rupees," he whispered back. "Why?"

"I think the only way Talo's going to lay off is if I buy it for him. Otherwise he might eat a whole ant's nest like last time." They shared a grin. As Link was about to slip away, Colin grabbed at his shirt.

"I finished the fishing rods I was making last night," the boy told him. "I didn't bring them because I didn't want Talo getting at them." Link nodded. Although they were supposed to be friends, Talo sometimes acted like a bully towards Colin. He had a bad habit of taking the younger boy's things without asking and was rarely gentle with them, giving valid reason for the concern.

"Fado gave me the day off today, so we can try them out later if you want." Colin smiled at the proposal, his soft blue eyes sparkling brightly at his big brother. Link ruffled the lad's hair fondly and took off while Talo continued his ineffective grovelling.

Link walked to the village store with his head deep in thought. Thirty rupees was close to half the pay he had earned that morning, even with the extra amount Fado gave him. He was going to have to break his budget a little this week, but it would feel good to do something nice for the kids. Because he was older than them, they all sort of looked up to him, not that he really felt he deserved it. They'd often follow him around like ducklings and that made him feel self-conscious, especially whenever he was practicing his swordplay, something Talo and Beth loved watching the most.

He was about to turn towards the shop when he saw something odd. Over by Fado's house he could see Beth's father, Hanch, throwing rocks high into a tree. Not far away, his mother stood staring up at the leaves with worry on her face. Link followed the last stone's trajectory and saw that the man was aiming at a monkey hanging from one of the upper branches, none of them managing to hit their target. In its hand-like feet was a baby's cradle that it used to taunt the villager. Perplexed, Link made his way over to investigate.

"What's going on?" Hanch stopped his assault and turned his gaunt face to the young man.

"Oh, mornin' Link. Uli lost her cradle earlier and I found that little chimp scamperin' around with it. Been tryin' to get it to drop the thing but I can't hit it." Link looked to his mother questioningly.

"I took my eyes off it for one second," she said. "Next I looked, it was gone. I need that cradle back, Link. I've had it since you were little."

"Almost got it," Hanch growled, heaving the next rock as hard as his scrawny arm could throw. The projectile reached higher than any of the previous yet just barely missed. The monkey blew a raspberry and screeched with laughter.

Uli moved closer to the tree out of the line of Hanch's rocks, ready to catch the basket when it fell. The next shot appeared as though it would land, but instead it struck a nearby bees' nest hard. The nest cracked open on impact, spilling out an angry swarm darting towards their attacker, as well as the unfortunate goatherd beside him. Both men jumped and ran the other way screaming at the top of their voices. Link's fitness helped to keep him ahead of Hanch, who suffered the full wrath of the stinging insects. One after the other, they dived into the lake and swam as far down as possible. Link's lung burned for air with increasing intensity as he waited for the swarm to give up the chase.

When he could no longer stand the agony in his chest, Link surfaced and sucked in all the fresh air his body could hold. Thankfully there was not a single bee left in sight. Next to him, Hanch was floundering around with painful red welts covering his face and arms. The man complained non-stop as they paddled to the shore where Uli waited for them worriedly. When Link hauled himself onto dry land, his mother bent down on one knee to check him over. "Are you okay, Link? Did you get stung anywhere?"

Link gently pushed her hands away. "Mom, I'm fine. Luckily I can run faster than Hanch." He grinned to show her he was truly alright. It pleased him to see that she was unharmed as well.

At Uli's suggestion, Hanch sauntered off to Jaggle's house at the flourmill. Hopefully Pergie would have some ointment for his stings. That left Link and his mother alone to think about what to do next. Rocks weren't going to do it anymore; that was for certain. Link didn't want to risk hitting the nest again. The monkey continued to tease them, passing the basket nimbly from one paw to the other. An idea suddenly popped itself into Link's head. He turned away from the pesky animal and walked towards the shop. Uli asked what he was doing but he only told her that he would be back in a minute.

As Link stepped through the door he almost tripped over Beth's cat on its way out. The walls of the front room were covered floor to ceiling with timber shelves stocked with various goods. Herbs and cheese wheels, wooden bowls and cutlery sets, bait and rope, the store had virtually everything the villagers could need, as well as any travellers passing by. Sitting behind the counter was Sera, smiling at him warm and welcoming.

"Hello, Link. How are you? You haven't seen my husband around have you? Sent him out to collect the milk from Fado but he hasn't come back yet."

Link chuckled lightly and told her of Hanch's misfortune with the bees. Sera rolled her eyes wearily. "Goddesses, that man is about as bright as a cucco and half as useful... Well, what can I do for you today, dear?"

The youth pointed towards the middle shelf behind her, to the three-pronged wooden object propped up against the wall. "I was hoping I could buy that."

Sera looked at the item in bafflement. "The slingshot? I thought you'd be a bit old for that sort of thing... But it's thirty rupees if you really want it." Link fished out a red crystal and two blues and placed them onto the counter. Sera swiped them up in one motion and replaced the gems with his purchase. "Now take care with that," she warned. "A shot from that can sting something awful. Don't go aiming it at people or breakables." He nodded and thanked her before leaving.

When he returned to where he left his mother, Link saw that their friend Jaggle was trying to retrieve her stolen cradle. The stout, burly farmer called at the monkey as he held out a ripe, red apple in his open hand. The creature wasn't the least bit interested and sat in the tree with the wicker frame held above its head. "Bah!" he said at last. "Sorry, Uli. Thought that'd work."

"It's okay, Jaggle. Thank you for trying," the woman replied sadly. She heard Link approach from behind and eyed the slingshot in his grasp with curiosity.

Link scanned the ground and plucked up a small pebble, just the right size to load onto the leather sling. He raised the toy and lined the shot carefully. His grip tightened on the handle as he stretched the strap back as far as it could go. Muttering a quick apology in advance, he let the strap loose. With a snap and a faint hissing sound, the pebble rocketed into the air and smacked the monkey square in its fuzzy, grey stomach. It shrieked loudly in pain and dropped the cradle to the trio's delight.

Uli quickly picked up the object and checked it over for any damage, pleased to find none. "Oh thank you, Link." She pulled him into a tight embrace. "I thought I was never going to get this back."

"You're welcome," he grinned, watching the monkey scurry away.

"Good thinking with that slingshot," Jaggle praised him, giving Link a hearty clap on the back. "You know, my kid Talo was pestering me all morning for me to get that for him. Nothing but persistent, he is. Malo's just as bad but at least he's more quiet about it."

Link freed himself from his mother's hug and turned to him. "I was just about to take it to him. I bet he's driving Beth insane by now."

The farmer chuckled. His features became even rougher than usual as he smiled. "Thanks for that, then. Feel bad you're spending your money on my boys. If there's anything I can do to pay you back, you just tell me, alright?"

Link nodded. "Sure thing. I'll see you both later." He turned away and made for home again. Hopefully today wouldn't be filled with any more misadventures.

* * *

**FORESHADOWING! (sorry, couldn't resist)**

**To close off this chapter, I wanted to talk briefly about Hyrule Warriors, which I am super-excited about. Never thought that a spin-off Zelda game would be so interesting but after seeing various trailers and demo playthroughs, I finally have a desperate need to buy a WiiU.**

**Was hoping for a Twilight Princess 2 in this year's announcement for Zelda WiiU, but since we get Midna back as a playable character in HW, I'll take that as a very good compromise. Love the graphics to bits and the way that the game throws the timeline out the window with a maniacal laugh is a great twist.**

**I'm not going to drone on every aspect we've seen in previews, but I did want to give my thoughts on the character line-up:**

**Link: Really like the new design with the scarf. Gives me an idea for a potential story but I'll need to see the full game before going any further down that road. Feel like he should have been given a voice this time around since HW is non-canon but I can live with it.**

**Midna: I squeed inside, I confess. Love the range of attacks she has and her appearance as a villain at the start is an interesting avenue for the developers to take. Her main weapon 'the shackle' has me and various others curious, and I have to wonder if it is an exclusive weapon for her. The youtube series Macintyre Productions has discussed thoughts of whether Midna could be playable in her true form. I think this is quite possible if she is equipped with different weapons or if her true form comes as a skin like the Skyward Sword Link and Zelda designs.**

**Now all the game needs is a relationship feature like in Fire Emblem: Awakening and I can die happily.**

**Zelda: Promoted to queen, good for her. Great to see her out in the field as a monster-slaying badass. None of that 'save the princess' hogwash that we've seen in past Zelda titles. Even the one mission where you have to give her backup makes her look more impressive.**

**Fi: I know a certain person who's probably over the moon about this. Her fighting style is awesome and amusing at the same time. It's going to be so satisfying killing enemies while twirling like a ballerina.**

**Shia/Cia: Interesting character in more than just her appearance, particularly her relationship with Link. Wonder if she is capable of redemption later in the game?**

**Lana: This new character adds to the uniqueness of HW that stops it from just being a mix-and-mash of every existing Zelda title. Kind of baffled by the way she jumps around during special attacks since it looks pretty ineffectual.**

**Agitha: Surprised that she is a playable character. Nothing more I can really say about that.**


	3. 3: Arrogance and Courage

**Hi everyone. Sorry about this but I have something important to announce.**

**Since I am now back at university, I am struggling to manage my time with my various commitments. My beta reader, Scarlet Curls, is likewise experiencing time issues as well. As a result, I am pushing back updates to every three weeks instead of every two. Rest assured, the coming chapters will be uploaded as close to schedule as possible and we should be able to get back to working normally after three or so updates. I apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Arrogance and Courage**

Link returned home to a sight that made his jaw drop low. All across his yard, shallow holes had been dug out of the ground, with a matching mound of brown dirt beside each one. Just outside of Epona's stable, Talo sat on his knees, tearing at the earth with his bare hands. The horse didn't appear disturbed by the bizarre behaviour, but her master was greatly bemused and a little upset.

"What the heck is going on, here?" he exclaimed. He turned to the other children standing off to the side. While Beth stared back at him nervously, Malo continued watching his brother unperturbed. Colin knelt at one of the nearby pits, trying to repair some of the damage.

"I'm sorry, Link," Beth spoke in a high pitch. "Malo told a story there was a gold rupee buried around here. Talo's been searching for it ever since you left." _A gold rupee?!_ Link looked towards the smaller boy.

"It got him to stop whining," he shrugged. "Thought my ears were gonna bleed."

Talo had given up on his current hole and went to move to a new spot. When he turned and saw the young ranch hand, he jumped in surprise. The boy looked anxiously at the mess he had made and stammered for an excuse. Quickly, though, he noticed of the object in Link's hand and forgot all about his predicament.

"Woah, Link! You've got a slingshot! That's so cool!" He ran up for a closer look, ogling at the item with fascination. The others approached Link as well to admire it.

"I wonder how powerful it is," Talo thought out loud. He looked up at Link's face. "Hey, can you show us how good you are with that?"

"Yes, show us," Malo demanded flatly. Beth bounced on her heels as she gave her full support to the idea. Colin said nothing but his expression was one of shy interest.

The children's stares made Link feel a bit anxious. He had just bought the play weapon and now they were expecting him to be an expert with it. "Alright," he reluctantly agreed. Beth and Talo both cheered with excitement.

"But first you have to clean this up." They followed his pointed finger to the pockmarks in the grass. Talo's gleeful face transfigured into a guilty smile as all eyes fell on him.

While the brunette lad shovelled the soil back where it belonged, his friends aided Link in setting up some targets to practice on. Along with a couple of scarecrows normally used for sword training, they perched some of Link's dinner plates at various spots around the yard. Halfway through, Colin had run back home before returning with a small satchel. His idea was to store seeds as ammunition, which impressed everyone including Talo. With the youngsters standing safely behind him, Link readied his slingshot and studied his targets.

The first one was close so Link could make the shot quick and easily. The stone struck a scarecrow with a muffled thud before skittering out of sight. His hand loaded another stone and he fired at one of the smaller targets. The pine dish spun away from the impact and fell face down in the grass. The kids gasped and whooped loudly as Link's lips curled into a pleased smirk. He kept firing one stone after another, scooping several at once for faster succession. Soon he was acting purely on instinct. The shots weren't exactly bullseyes, but not once did Link miss a target. It was curious since this was the first time he had ever held a slingshot.

"Link, you're _soooo _amazing," Beth swooned.

"That was AWESOME!" Talo shouted, his arms flying up towards the air. Beside him, Colin's mouth hung agape in an amazed grin. Even Malo made a rare show of astonishment as his eyes bulged wide. Link chuckled as embarrassment burned his cheeks red.

"Impressive."

Link started at the new voice and turned to see Rusl smiling in approval. How long he had been standing there, the lad didn't know; and neither did the kids by the look of it. The old swordsman walked up casually to his apprentice. They were of a height, with Link being just a few inches shorter than the other man. Rusl had a long object in his right hand with two thinner items in the other. He passed the former to Link.

"I've repaired your sword for you. Since I heard you have the day free, I thought you could put in a little extra practice."

Link hid his grimace well as he looked at the long weapon. It wasn't a true sword; it was made from timber with an edge sharp enough to resemble the real version. He tried his best to sound cheerful as he gave his thanks. Rusl turned towards his other son and handed the lad the twin rods.

"You left these at home this morning."

Colin accepted the fishing poles with a meek nod and thanked his father as well. With the deliveries made, the swordsman told his boys that he would be working on the tribute some more and turned back towards the village. The other three kids huddled around Link as they inspected the sword thoroughly.

"WOAH!" Talo exclaimed as Link drew back the leather scabbard to inspect Rusl's handiwork. The boy's mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape. "It looks sharper than ever! Link, can you show us some of your moves, please?" Just as before, Malo and Beth added to his persistent begging until Link could no longer stand to refuse.

"Alright! Alright!" he nearly had to shout. They cheered in glee as the older lad let out a heavy sigh. Link held up the wooden sword with a dismal expression.

He never asked to learn how to use a sword, or any kind of weapon for that matter. Yet his father insisted that he do so to be able to defend the village from danger. All the other men, including Hanch and his lack of muscle, had some way of protecting their homes, and so Link, too, was expected to do the same. Except he hated the thought of violence and he would never wish harm onto anyone, ever. Killing animals was a different issue, for it was essential for the village to survive; but taking the life of another person didn't sit right with Link one bit. The children didn't seem to quite understand this. Talo was the worst, with his love for gory war stories and the little pretend sword he always carried. At least Colin never harassed him. That much Link was grateful for.

The young man pulled the scabbard over his head with the hilt pointing to the left. With the exception of Sera, Link was the only person in Ordon who was left-handed. At first it had been a little confusing learning sword techniques from his mentor, who used his right hand; but over time his mind came to adapt and mirrored the actions to near perfection. He drew the sword and swung it through the air a few times to warm up. The children stood well back from Link as he worked. They had been warned time and time again of the danger of getting too close.

At Talo's urging, Link took a step towards the mannequin and started off with a stab. The pointed tip of the sword speared hard into the straw stuffing and rattled the dummy. Next he performed a series of cuts from all directions. He aimed for vital points including the neck, the heart and the side, as well as the arms and legs to disable an opponent. Link tried to picture the scarecrow as a live enemy as his father recommended, but his conscience kicked in and his strokes became slower and weaker. It wasn't alive, he resigned to telling himself. It was just a big sack of hay, nothing more. His attacks regained their power soon after that.

"Oh, oh!" Talo began hopping in boundless excitement. "Do that super cool move. That jump attack!" Link moved a pace back before lunging through the air and slamming the sword onto his target's head. The boy hollered wildly.

"Now do the spin attack," Malo ordered.

_Doesn't that kid ever ask nicely?_ Link asked himself. Nevertheless, he tensed the muscles in his arms, legs and torso and pivoted on one foot, delivering a powerful slash in a perfect circle. When his other foot met the ground, Link took a moment to regain his balance. While the technique was ideal when one was overwhelmed by multiple enemies, it quickly made him dizzy. Because of this, Link could only use it a few times on any occasion. Any more than that and he would be too tired and disoriented to defend himself properly. His breath was almost gone now and his sword hand was starting to cramp. Wiping the sweat glistening from his forehead, Link lowered his weapon and closed his eyes to rest.

When he opened his lids again, he saw Talo swinging madly at the mannequin with his stick as Malo and Beth watched. The only one who wasn't brimming with energy was Colin, standing alone with his head pointing to his toes. Link walked up to him.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, placing a hand onto his brother's shoulders. The blonde boy looked up and gave a brief nod. "You sure?" Link pressed gently.

"Yeah... I just don't like swords that much. They look scary and dangerous..." Link didn't say a word to argue. He knew exactly what Colin was talking about. But he smiled for his brother's sake and tried to lift his spirits.

"Hey, how about we test out those rods of yours?" he proposed, pointing towards the tall sticks in the boy's hand. "Let's see who can catch the biggest fish."

Colin gave a big, genuine smile. "I hope I get a greengill. I like those better than catfish."

His elder sibling chuckled. "Unless Mom cooks it." The younger giggled as well.

"Unless Mom cooks it," he agreed.

* * *

After a couple of hours at the lake shore, Colin did indeed catch a greengill; several in fact. One of them was a mighty eleven inches long from head to tail, probably a new record. Link himself hooked a few fish himself but they were all too small so he released them. Another season and they would serve as a better meal. The fifth time he felt his rod tug, Link thought he had a hylian pike, which were impossibly rare in the Ordona Province. It turned out instead that he had landed an old boot. The brothers laughed together before Link tossed it aside.

When the sun crept lower in the sky, Colin was more than happy to end their fishing session and rejoin the other children, right after he dropped the fish at home for their mother to cook up. Perhaps she would make another soup? Or would she sear it instead and serve it with a salad? Either way, it was guaranteed to be delicious.

Link chose to remain by the lake shore to relax some more, dreaming idly as he stared up at the clouds. The sound of soft footsteps behind him brought him back to reality and he glanced at Ilia walking right past him. Feeling a little bored after sitting on his rear for so long, he got to his feet and decided to follow the girl.

He wasn't surprised to see Talo still beating at the dummies. Jaggle was right, that kid had a dangerous mix of too much energy and never knowing when to quit. It didn't faze Link either when he found that Epona was no longer in her stable. With a grin, he headed in the direction of a pair of fresh tracks leading towards the forest.

The late afternoon sun trickled through the leafy canopy in thin disparate beams, shrinking and widening as the branches overhead swayed in the light breeze. A family of robins could be heard chirping somewhere of the trees, although the hylian boy couldn't see so much as a feather.

As predicted, Link found Ilia and his stolen horse in the same place as before. The spring reflected the light brilliantly in wavering patterns, almost as if the flashes were dancing. The gentle waves were disturbed as the two females stepped into the shallow water. Ilia bent over to fill the bucket she held and turned to Epona when she had a sufficient amount. Seeing Link approaching startled her, causing the pail to drop with a soft splash. The ranch hand couldn't help but laugh.

"Haven't you given Epona a bath today, already?" he asked with a cocked brow.

Recovering from her fright with a deep breath, Ilia shot him a look. "Epona's a girl, too, so you ought to treat her like one. And that means keeping her clean." She went to pick the bucket up again as Link waded up beside her.

"Want a hand?" he offered. The young lass gave him a warm smile and nodded.

* * *

As the couple of friends worked to wash the dust from Epona's body, a faint series of shouts could be overheard in the distance. In contrast to the spring's tranquillity, the little clearing in front of Link's house sounded closer to a war zone.

"Hyaah! Hoi! HA!" Talo's loud voice rang out as he attacked his foe relentlessly. The dummy stood no chance against the legendary warrior's never-ending barrage. It was then time to deliver the final blow. He lifted his mighty weapon above his head and lunged at his victim. "HAAAAAARRRRRR!"

"Talo, do you really have to shout like that?" Beth scolded, hands firmly on her hips.

"It's not really necessary," Colin murmured, not looking at his friend directly. "That's not even a real enemy." He had only been watching for ten minutes after stopping off at home, yet the constant shouting was already getting on his nerves.

The brunette lad rested the stick on his shoulder and scoffed. "It's a warrior thing. I wouldn't expect any of you to understand. A battle cry strikes fear into your enemies, making them easier to beat."

A wry smirk crossed Malo's face. "That scarecrow must be terrified then, since it's not fighting back." The expression vanished as quickly as it came. "So how come Link never yells like that, huh?"

His brother stuck his nose up with a loud huff. "I'm a heaps better swordsman than Link will ever be."

"But Link trains everyday and does routines," Colin defended meekly. "You just wave your stick around."

The older boy glared at him in annoyance, causing Colin to balk under the sneer. "And what makes you an expert? You're too much of a wimp to even hold a sword."

Talo moved his gaze towards his little stick. "If I had a real weapon, I could be the strongest fighter in the world. Then I'd show those monkeys that keep playing tricks on us." A high pitch screech was the only response he got. The children jolted in alarm.

Malo leaned to see past his brother. "Don't look now, but there's one of them over there." Blinking in surprise, Talo spun on the spot to see one of the furry primates standing barely a stone's throw away. On the animal's head by its ear was a vivid red flower. The children gawped at it in silence.

Talo was the first to act. "Let's get it!" he shouted, stick raised high. The monkey screamed and fled as the little human charged at it. Shocked again, the other children ran after them, calling after the boy.

* * *

By the spring shore, the two teenagers rested comfortably on the sand next to a very clean Epona. Held between Link's lips was the head of horsegrass as he blew on it gently. The plant was so named for the end part of the stalk which resembled a horseshoe. Simply poke a few holes in it and it made for a beautiful makeshift instrument.

He whistled a light tune that Ilia had requested him to play. The lass had her eyelids closed in bliss as she listened to the soothing melody. Ilia was not the only fan of Link's song as Epona stood motionless and content behind him. The horse enjoyed it so much that the tune had become a major influence in the close bond she shared with her master. If the youth played it within her range of hearing, Epona was more than likely to follow his call with haste.

Ilia felt at peace as the song whisked her into dreams. She could see herself standing in an open plain, vaster than the fields of her beloved Ordon. The grass around her was taller than her thigh and swayed with slow grace. Butterflies of rich blues, yellows and whites fluttered through the air carefree, dancing about her head as the sun shone brilliantly upon her fair locks.

Ilia opened her eyes and turned to the source of her calm. Seeing Link sitting beside her so relaxed plucked at her heartstrings like a harp. Her emotions welled up inside her, generating a warm sensation that tickled her all over. Now was the time for a second try. "Link..."

The ranch hand stopped playing and she regretted it slightly. As he looked to her it then occurred to Ilia that she was unsure of how to continue. Speak from the heart, she had always heard. "I want to thank you..."

Link responded with a low chuckle. "For what?"

She dropped her gaze to her hands, watching them fidget with each other. Her face began to grow hot. "For being such a good friend to me." Her voice had grown quiet. Ilia felt her extremities trembling against her wishes to stop. "For more than that, for also being there for me, especially when..." She couldn't proceed when her throat constricted at the memories that surfaced. She didn't need to, thankfully, as Link nodded. His expression was neutral, unsure whether to smile or frown in concern.

"You don't need to thank me, Ilia," he said softly, wondering what had brought this on. "I do it because I care about you. You're my best friend."

Her heart skipped a beat as she smiled. "I know. You're my best friend, too." There was a pause. No sounds could be heard, save from the river trickling into the spring, making the girl feel a tension pressing down on her. She took a breath. "Link...? there's som-"

A shrill screech cut her off and pulled the pair's attention to the path behind them. Past Epona's thick, hairy legs, she could make out the bottom half of a child dashing across. Link jumped to his feet and ran over just in time to catch Colin, Beth and Malo running with frantic expressions.

"Link!" Beth cried, "Talo ran off into the woods!"

Ilia and Link gasped in unison. One of the most important rules their parents had drilled into them all was to never leave the village alone. It was easy to get lost in the expansive forest, and stories told of children who disappeared and turned into ghosts to wander the trees forever. The more realistic danger was that the forest was full of wolves and bears. Both predators could kill any grown man that strayed too far from the beaten track. For someone as young as Talo to disregard this danger, it was beyond foolish.

"Colin, run back home and find Dad and Jaggle," Ilia heard Link say in a sharp, urgent manner. He knelt down to place a calming hand on the very distraught Beth's shoulder. "Beth, you stay here with Ilia and look after Malo." Tears streamed down her face as she nodded.

As Link jogged over to Epona and vaulted onto her back, not bothering to replace the saddle lying at her hooves, Ilia could hear Malo mutter, "I don't need a babysitter." She shot him a stern look, but saw the uncharacteristic worry in the eight-year-old's eyes. He understood the gravity of the situation perfectly. His words were nothing more than an automatic response.

Ilia looked up towards Link and met his gaze. They exchanged a single nod before he kicked his heels into the mare's sides. Epona let out a loud whinny and raced north in pursuit of the reckless boy. Ilia clapped her hands to her chest and prayed for them all to come back safe and sound.

* * *

The forest flew past in an indistinguishable blur of greens and browns. Link urged Epona on as hard as he dared, keeping a sharp eye out for Talo's scarlet headband while worry festered in his mind. So far the horse and rider had crossed the Farona Bridge without finding any sign of the missing lad. On Epona, Link knew it wouldn't take long before he caught up with Talo. He just hoped that the boy was alright.

Rounding a bend in the path barely a minute later, Link exhaled in relief as he spotted Talo up ahead, hot on the heels of a terrified monkey. Epona chewed up the distance in record time and charged past them before Link brought her to a halt. The monkey ducked through the horse's legs and vanished into the nearby bushes. Talo was less fortunate and crashed into the massive animal. She snorted in annoyance at the child rebounding onto his backside. Her master slid down to the ground and stood over the boy. Talo's senses returned and looked up with a dumbstruck expression.

"Talo, what do you think you're doing?" Link scolded, more out of worry than real anger. He grabbed the child by the wrist and helped him up.

Talo swung his head around frantically then looked up at the older boy. "I saw one of those monkeys, Link! It was up to no good, so I-"

Link raised a hand for silence and spoke in a calm yet firm tone. "Talo, you know you're not supposed to leave the village on your own. What if something bad had happened to you?"

"I can take care of myself," the boy stated arrogantly. "I'm trying to protect everybody from those stupid monkeys. They're always causing trouble and stealing our food!"

"I'm well aware of their pranks," Link's brows pursed. "But that poor monkey hadn't done anything that deserved you chasing it. How would you feel if someone tried to hunt you down for something someone else did?" Talo opened his mouth to reply but couldn't speak. He then lowered his head in shame.

Link patted his shoulder lightly, all signs of anger vanished. "Let's go home. Malo and the others were worried sick when you ran off." The lad nodded and together they turned back the way they came.

A screech from behind froze the pair in their tracks. Spinning back again, they watched as the same monkey burst out onto the track and dart past them. The boys shifted from confusion to alarm as a trio of monsters appeared seconds after. A new sound, a sickening high gurgling, alerted them to another set of the beasts standing behind them, making six in total. With its path blocked again, the monkey skidded to a stop and changed course. Running to the side of the road, it clambered up a rocky outcropping, leaving the two humans to face the horrors alone. Link swallowed hard as he turned to stare at one with eyes as big as saucers.

Bluish skin stretched tightly across twig-like arms and bloated bellies. A mop of grey dreadlocks sprouted from large, misshapen heads with ears the size of bat wings. Scraps of dirty linen covered the creatures' loins and feet while their forearms were swathed in bandages. Each of them wielded a large, crude club made from fallen tree branches. One opened its maw to release another garbled scream, revealing a row of sharp, broken teeth. The horde began to close in on the boys at a stalking pace.

Talo inched closer to Link and hid behind him, all confidence abandoned. "What are those things?" he whimpered. Epona threw her head wildly, skittering in place in fright.

"I don't know," Link managed to say. His breathing was restricted to a panicked shudder. A spark of common sense made him draw the wooden sword hanging on his back. "Stay behind me."

They were seriously outnumbered and Link struggled to keep his eyes on all the creatures at once. He took a quick peek behind him and pointed to a small alcove in the rock. "Get in there," he instructed. Talo complied as they backed quickly into the recess.

_"If you find yourself surrounded, a smart move would be to find a nice, narrow passage. You'll force your opponents into a bottleneck, allowing you to deal with only one or two at a time." _That was one of Rusl's earliest teachings, and somehow made itself heard over Link's crippling terror.

The monsters charged forward with weapons raised. Epona reared as one came close to her. She brought a hard hoof down on its head, squashing it like an apple. Three beasts trapped the boys in their pitiful shelter as Link fended off the clubs as best as he could. The other two monsters focused on the horse, waving their weapons at her as she pranced away quickly. Link didn't see what happened, but he heard Epona scream before galloping away, running over another monster and crushing its heart.

The fourth creature joined its comrades in the assault, making it harder for the young swordsman to keep them off. Fortunately the things were slow and stupid, hitting each other more often than the hylian, but Link would've given anything just to have a shield right then. A couple of the clubs broke through and slammed onto his arms and thighs. Link cried in agony, but he kept blocking and parrying; he had to protect Talo until help arrived. His stomach fell as he realised there was a chance they could die here. Goddesses save them.

Out of nowhere, something landed onto one of the creature's heads and caused it to stagger back. Atop the alcove stood the monkey with the flower, screaming defiantly at the monsters. It lobbed stones, sticks and anything else its little hands could grab a hold of. With the foes distracted, Link began to push back to give himself some more breathing room. The wooden blade smacked the fiends painfully, yet they held their ground.

"Talo, duck!" Link suddenly shouted. Giving enough time for the child to react, he spun fast and swatted all four demons away at once. Link grabbed Talo's arm to make a break for it, but their attackers were already recovering. Hate lit up in their beady, little eyes as the entire pack roared.

"Link!" he heard his name being shouted. The call was followed by a hiss as an arrow sank itself into a monster's neck. The creature choked on its own blood as another arrow caught its brother in the chest. Link watched as Andel galloped towards them with Rusl and Jaggle riding double. The former exchanged his bow for a sword then decapitated a third monster before it could defend itself. Jaggle targeted the last with fury written on his face, leaping from the horse to bring down a heavy wood axe on its victim's skull. The monster's fearful scream was the last sound before deathly silence.

Jaggle wiped the brains from his tool on a corpse as Rusl dismounted and checked for other dangers. While this happened, Link sank to his knees; dull of mind, panting hard, and aching all over. Talo started to cry but the older lad hardly registered it. The master swordsman took Link by the shoulders and knelt down to his level. "Are you both alright?" he asked worriedly.

It felt like forever before Link raised his head to answer. "Yeah, we're fine," he grunted, raising his head. He managed to stand yet his legs protested against the movement, hurting far worse than earlier. Rusl cursed as he, too, struggled to stand tall again. Beside them, Jaggle grasped his son by the arms and gave him a firm but brief shake.

"What in Farore's name were you doing?" the man barked. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?" The boy didn't respond. His face was milky white. Jaggle shook him again. "Well, do you?!"

Rusl put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jaggle, please, he's in shock."

"I'm s-sorry," Talo he began to wail, his streaming eyes screwed shut. His body shook violently with each sob. "I'm sor-r-r-ry..." It was all he could say.

Anger vanished from Jaggle's features to be replaced by fear and relief. He pulled the boy into a mighty embrace. "Don't ever do that again," he whispered tearfully. "_Never_ do that again." Talo nodded and sank deeper into the hug, sobbing harder in the safety of his father's arms.

Link didn't resist as he felt himself being pulled away from the father and son. Rusl caught the youth's empty gaze with concern in his own. "What were those things?" Link asked dully.

The former soldier took a glance at the bloodied bodies. "Bokoblins," he spat. "Foul beasts. What the hell are they even doing in the woods? I thought Hyrule had been rid of them for centuries." There was no answer to that and Rusl signed in frustrated confusion. He focused back on his son. "Are you alright, Link?"

He did not answer immediately. Taking a shuddering breath, Link opened his mouth to speak. "I'm sorry, Dad... I should have done better. I should have fought back... like you tell me to... I... I thought those things were going to kill us..." His face slowly dropped as his voice cracked.

"Link," his father said firmly, but not unkindly, "every fighting man goes through what you're experiencing at some point in their lives, including myself. There's no shame in it. You did very well protecting Talo like you had. Because of you, he's safe and unharmed. Goddesses know what might have happened to him if you hadn't arrived in time."

The youth turned his head towards the alcove in a daze. The monkey was no longer there. "Link," Rusl repeated, making him face forward again. "You did well."

Link gave a weak nod, unable to reply. All he wanted to do then was go home, crawl into bed and forget this day ever happened. So much for no more misadventures...


	4. 4: Out of Your League

**I was going to hold out a few more days before I published this chapter, but I was bored and you guys have been patient, so here it is.**

**I received one heck of a grilling from my beta reader (very beneficial grilling), and so I've gone back and changed a few of the old chapter titles into something more interesting. Most of them were only minor. It's also thanks to Scarlet Curls that this chapter is better than how I had it originally written.**

**More thanks to those of you who followed, favourited and reviewed. Yes, Link beating bokoblins left-right-and-centre with a wooden sword like in the game was odd, so I'm glad that the twist I made was appreciated.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Out of Your League**

The trip back home felt longer than it was thanks to Link's aching body. At least he was saved from walking by riding on Andel's back behind his father. Jaggle had elected that he and Talo would make their way on foot, so as to have more time for a little 'father-and-son chat'. Link felt sorry for the boy. Jaggle's scolding was audible even from a distance. He could only imagine how much worse it was up close.

Even though he was hardly moving, Link winced with every step the old horse took. He felt like one of those goat figurines the children would whack around at parties, only the difference was he wasn't full of treats. Each second seemed to drag on for a minute, and it was a massive relief when the made it across the Farona Bridge.

They found Epona waiting nervously back at Link's house. The mare looked to her master in what he imagined was apology and concern. He didn't blame her for running away. Those bokoblins were frightening, and Link might've done the same if he had been able. He made a gesture to assure the horse that he was alright, and it seemed silly, but she shook her mane in response. Thank Nayru that she was safe.

"We better have Pergie take a look at your wounds," Rusl suggested when they trotted right past the boy's home. He had been quite aware of the shallow grunts and groans that his adoptive son had been making. Link didn't protest. He couldn't work up the energy to.

They found Pergie waiting outside her waterwheel house wearing a mask of worry. When she laid eyes on the two men approaching, she ran forward to ask if her son was alright. Rusl smiled and told her that Talo was unharmed and safely with her husband. The woman sighed in relief and turned her gaze to the youth slouching behind the swordsman. She could tell from his gloomy expression that he was in rough shape.

More pain flared across Link's body as he was helped to the ground. Loathing every step he took, he allowed his father and Pergie to guide him inside. Never had he been so glad when he sat down in an empty chair whilst the woman examined him. Throughout his life, Link had seen Pergie a number of times for a range of ailments including colds, broken bones, and one case of cucco pox. As a result, he felt no shame when he was instructed to remove his shirt. Big, dull purple splotches covered his upper arms and sides. One of his legs was similarly discoloured as well. Link hissed sharply as Pergie prodded each bruise with a finger.

"He's got a good bunch of shiners all over, that much you can see," she told Rusl. "But, fortunately, nothing seems to be broken. These should clear up in about a week or so."

The front door suddenly flew open with a bang and Uli came charging in. Link yelped in pain she immediately yanked him into a crushing embrace. She heard his cry and pulled away to stare at his many bruises. Horror morphed in to hot anger as she spun on the spot towards Rusl.

"What happened?" she demanded. "Colin tells me that Link ran off into the woods, and when I hear he's back, I see him like this? What _happened_?!"

The men cringed as Rusl steeled himself to bear the news. "There was an incident. It's all taken care of now," he added when his wife's glare intensified. "Link was chasing after Talo when a pack of monsters a-"

"Monsters?!" the mothers exclaimed together. Uli glanced at Link's injuries again and returned her gaze to her husband with renewed fury.

"Link was attacked?! In the forest?!" Panic began to set into the pregnant woman. "That's it! Link is not going anywhere! No going to Hyrule; no Castle Town; no tribute!"

Link's eyes widened in shock. His mouth hung open as Rusl placed his hands on his wife's shoulders. "Dear, you're blowing this completely out of proportion. If you just-"

"Out of proportion!" she screamed. "Link could have been killed today! Do you realise that, or don't you care at all?" The swordsman stared at her as if he'd been slapped. "You told me that there was nothing to worry about, that this little trip of yours was going to be safe. But barely a day later, Link comes home battered worse than a slab of meat! And you're telling me I'm 'blowing this out of proportion'?!

"Link is not going anywhere," she stated venomously. "He is going to stay here in the village where he's safe. And that's final!"

"No!" The couple turned in surprise. Link looked up at them with a firm stare.

"I promised Dad I would go, so I'm going." He did not allow himself to get this worked up about visiting Hyrule just to be yanked out of it now. For his mother's sake, he then spoke in a gentler tone. "Mom, I'm alright, really. It's just a couple of bruises."

"When Jaggle and I found him, Link was fighting off four bokoblins at once, and doing a remarkable job of it," Rusl added before his wife could respond. "He was protecting Talo. Because of Link, the boy wasn't hurt. You should be proud of him."

Uli blinked in surprise and turned to look at Pergie, who had been completely ignored since she arrived. She then felt terrible for fretting over her own son without showing any consideration for the wellbeing of her friend's. The other woman didn't appear angry, but her arms were crossed firmly across her body. Uli met her husband's gaze again, this time with a look of hopelessness.

"But what if it happens again? What if there are more of those things out there?"

Link's brain froze when the horrifying idea registered. He hadn't considered that there might be more bokoblins lurking about. _Why the hell did she have to go and say that for?_ All of a sudden he was less keen to go back out into the woods. But he just said he was still going to go to Castle Town...

Now his conscience was wrestling with his sense of self-preservation. Why did his parents have to teach him to keep his promises all the time? Brilliant. Just _bloody_ brilliant.

"I'll be with him the entire way," Rusl assured her. "And I'll make sure that he has something better to protect himself with than a stick of wood. I'm sure the mayor has an old weapon he can lend. As I recall, he used to be quite the adventurer back in the day." He cupped his love on the cheek and stroked his thumb. "I'll keep him safe, I promise."

Reluctantly, Uli nodded. Rusl wrapped his arms around her as she buried her head into the crook of his neck. Link's attention was wrenched away from the scene as Pergie started slathering a thick ointment onto his body.

"This will help those bruises heal," she explained. "Don't put your shirt back on until it dries, and don't have a bath for at least an hour, otherwise it'll just wash off." The salve stank something awful, but Link nodded his head all the same. At least it wasn't something he had to drink. Din's fire, he hated taking medicine.

* * *

"Hey Link, ye holdin' up okay?"

Link groaned low before he replied to his boss. He told Fado that he was fine, but underneath the cheerful facade he was barely keeping it together. His aching muscles and the memory of the monster attack kept him from sleeping last night. When he did manage to nod off, he was visited by another nightmare.

It had been similar to the last one; the giant glaring down before killing him with a single blow. This time, though, it had ended differently. When the sword came down, Link found himself surrounded by complete darkness. His eyes became fixed to a single, yellow one with an iris the colour of blood. A toothy grin appeared under the orb as a hand emerged from the black. Before Link could reach out and take it, it was morning.

"Hey!" Link blinked as he returned to reality. Fado stood beside him and watched him with concern. "Y'know, ye didn't have to come over today. Ye look like ye had a rough night."

The young rancher fought the urge to rub his tired eyes. "I don't mind, Fado. I didn't have much to do this morning, anyway." Link welcomed any activity that would help keep his mind off the strange dreams he had been having.

The big farmer wasn't convinced, less so when the lad opened his mouth wide to yawn. "Link, go home and catch a few winks. I can take it from here."

As much as he loved that idea, Link had to shake his head. "No, it doesn't matter. We're leaving for Castle Town soon."

After leaving Pergie's house the previous evening, his father had told him that he had finished the royal gift. He said that they would depart in the late morning, provided that the youth was feeling up to the journey. Link beared a false smile and agreed despite the throbbing of his body. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his father.

"Alright, if ye say so," Fado replied. He stared up towards the rising sun. "Y'all better get over to the mayor's, then if yer in a hurry."

"Good idea. See you, Fado."

"Same here. Good luck with the princess."

Link turned Epona away and steered her to the gate. Past there, the gradual slope fed back into the village right past the mayor's house. Standing on the porch outside, two figures engaged in deep conversation before being aware of the horseman's arrival. Rusl was the first to hear the hoof beats as he stopped in mid-speech turn his head to their source.

"There he is," the second man stated brightly, "the man of the hour."

If Fado was the tallest person in Ordon, Mayor Bo was the largest. The mayor was a giant of a man, with a round belly bulging under his shirt. Around Bo's neck was a carving attached to a leather strip, marking him as the village leader. The short, greying whiskers of his moustache were the only hair to be seen on his egg-shaped head. The mayor slapped Link solidly on the back after the youth dismounted to meet them, causing him to wince from his injuries.

"So you looking forward to seeing the castle, Link?" he asked with a wide grin.

Link barely contained the yawn cramping his jawbones. "Yes... very, sir." The mayor laughed at the tired response.

"So excited I bet you couldn't sleep a wink last night."

Rusl watched Link carefully. His grim features were a stark comparison to the other man's joviality. The old swordsman didn't utter a single word, yet Link understood the concerned message in his gaze. He gestured that he was fine. The youth then noticed a sheathed sword in his father's hand.

"Is that it?" Link asked in wonder.

Rusl nodded and held the tribute up. "Finest piece I've ever made. I doubt it would compare to the arms of the royal family, but it would make a fine sword for a captain."

Although Link didn't have much love for weapons, he couldn't deny the craftsmanship as Rusl drew the broadsword. The steel blade was sharp and polished to a flawless sheen. Its double edges ran parallel from the hilt until they tapered into a deadly point towards the end. The cross-guard was inlaid with goat horn, designed to give it greater resistance. Leather straps wound around the handle of the sword; thicker in the middle to provide better grip. In a word, it was beautiful.

It was to be expected, of course. Before he became a soldier, Rusl had been a blacksmith's apprentice in Castle Town under his father. Although apart from that, Link didn't know very much about the man's life – nor about his mother's, for that matter – prior to moving to Ordon.

"WOAH!" a shout from the hill came. "Watch out! Goat loose!"

Link spun around in time to see a young buck charging right towards him. Instinct driving his body, he dived out of the way as the goat stormed right past. The animal was headed for the other side of the village when Link rolled into a sitting position. "Not even one minute," he muttered to himself.

Bo and Rusl stared at the fleeing goat as well. The former shook his head with a frustrated sigh. "That Fado... I'm going to have to dock his wages for this."

Link cast his gaze down. "Sorry, mayor..." he said dejectedly.

The mayor waved a meaty palm at him. "Don't worry about it. Nothing you could have done about it." Though it had been intended to be reassuring, the flat reply only made Link feel worse. He should have at least tried to catch the animal.

"Would you like me to go track it down, Bo?" Rusl offered. The large man shook his head again.

"No, no. You've got a more important job to do. I'll send Jaggle out later. In the meantime, I'd better lend Fado a hand with that broken gate. Last thing we need before winter comes is to lose any more of our livestock."

The mayor's door opened as Ilia poked her head outside. "Is everything okay? I thought I heard shouting."

"It's nothing, love," Bo told his daughter. "Just Fado messing up again, that's all."

Ilia nodded then noticed Link lying in the dirt. She stepped out onto the landing and stared at him with a crooked smile. "Strange place to be sitting down, don't you think?" Returning the smirk, Link picked himself up and dusted off his pants. "So you're heading off now?" she asked him.

There was a touch of sadness in her voice, and Link felt it. "Yeah... I guess this means we won't be seeing each other for a while."

"Just a little while. You'll be back soon, I know it," she said, the corners of her mouth lifting up a half-inch. She turned to Epona and stroked her flank. "You'll look after him, won't you, girl?" The horse nuzzled her in response, earning a giggle from the lass.

Bo walked up to Link and pulled him in close so only he could hear. "I've spoken to Rusl about this, but I need you to be careful out there. Those monsters could be a real problem if there are more of them. I haven't told the rest of the village, though. Best not to worry them until we know the details ourselves."

Link wasn't in much of a position to debate the mayor's judgment, so he merely nodded.

"Watch yourselves while you're in the woods. That gift is vital for our relationship with the royal family. If something were to go amiss, it would be... bad... if you know what I mean." Again, Link nodded. He swallowed at the prospect of possibly meeting up with one of those beasts again.

"What's this?" Both Link and Bo spun around as Ilia inspected the mare's side. "Epona's hurt!"

She turned and marched up to the ranch hand wearing a fierce, accusing glare. "You were pushing her too hard jumping fences again, weren't you? How can you be so heartless, Link?"

Link balked under her harsh tone. Bo stepped in and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Ilia, let's not get overheated about this. I'm sure there's a-"

"Father!" she shouted, batting him away. "How can you defend him like this? You're the mayor! You should act like one!"

Bo stood there stunned by the outburst. Before he could form a response, Ilia took the horse's reins and led her away. "Come on, Epona. Let's get you to the spirit spring. You'll feel better there."

The mayor shared a brief glance with Link. Both men widened their eyes. "Wait, Ilia!" The girl failed to heed her father and continued on, shrinking with distance. "Din's fire, that child is stubborn. Exactly like her mother..."

Link watched in horror as Epona disappeared into the trees. Without his horse, how was he going to get to Castle Town? He _might_ have been able to ride double with his father, but Andel wasn't the youngest steed in the world. Sure, the horse could manage the short distance between Faron Woods and Ordon, but there was no way he could carry two grown men all the way to the capital. It was not a pleasant feeling to have your hopes dashed by the very person who helped raise them. Link started running. He needed to get Epona back.

He had to stop when the path past his house was blocked off by the children. Talo stood in front of Colin wearing an angry look while Malo and Beth stood to the side. "What the heck is your problem, Colin?" Talo growled. Colin took a nervous step back with his hands locked together behind his back.

"What's going on?" Link interjected. All three of the lads turned to him.

"Colin went and tattled on me yesterday," Talo explained hotly. "Because of him, I'm grounded for an entire month! I lost my allowance, too!"

"Our dad gave him the worst scolding ever," Malo added. "I thought it was never going to end."

"But I... I only..." Colin tried to say, his own lack of confidence tripping him up.

"You're such a snitch!" Talo sneered. "We break the smallest rule once and you run off to rat us out to everyone!"

"Leave him alone!" Beth stepped in. Even Colin was as stunned as everyone else to see her defending him. "You could've been eaten by those monsters! That's why our parents warn us not to leave the village! And Colin only told his dad because Link told him to!"

The brunette stared at Link in shock. "What? Why?"

"Talo, what you did was stupid and dangerous," Link answered firmly. "Anything could have happened to you, and you're lucky that you didn't get hurt."

"But you were beating those things, no problem!" Talo protested. "You didn't have to tell anybody!"

"Are you serious?!" The children jumped at the sudden anger in Link's voice. Ashamed by the reaction, he took a second to calm himself. It was very unlike the young hylian to lose his temper, especially at the young ones. "Talo, I don't know what you thought you saw yesterday, but I was barely keeping those monsters off us! If Colin hadn't told our parents what was happening, the two of us could've been killed!"

Talo's face began to pale. Link pressed further. "And if I hadn't known where you went, those bokoblins could have done anything to you! Don't you realise that?"

The boy hung his head at the lecture and Link relented. "Look, just promise me that you'll be more careful from now on. Don't make any more rash decisions. And you should apologise to Colin, because what he did saved our lives."

Link still had to talk to Ilia, so he left the children to talk it over and continued down the path. He had gone ten paces when a hand snatched at his wrist. He glanced down and saw his little brother.

"Link..." he said quietly, "thanks for sticking up for me. Talo's always teasing me." The elder lad gave a warm smile.

"It's okay, Colin. Don't listen to what he says. You did the right thing."

The child lowered his gaze, unconvinced by the praise. "He calls me a coward, and he's right. I get scared all the time and run home." Saddened, Link put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Dad said something weird last night. He said that I should try to be strong like you..." Link blinked. Had their father really said that about him? "But I don't want to use a sword or anything. That kind of stuff looks scary."

"I'm not going to lie, Colin," the older lad said, "but I feel that way a lot of the time, too. I was terrified when those monsters showed up, more than I want to admit. But I had to protect Talo, because if I hadn't, he would have been seriously hurt."

Colin chewed on that for a moment. "I still don't want to do any of that fighting stuff. But Link..." He looked up to his brother. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you. I'd like to learn how to ride a horse sometime."

Link smiled. It warmed his heart to hear his little brother looked up to him that way. "When I get back, I'll teach you. How's that sound?" Colin's face immediately brightened. Grinning, Link ruffled his hair and walked off with a goodbye. Hopefully the time he had spent with the kids had given Ilia a chance to cool off.

* * *

That was an incorrect assumption, to say the least.

"What do you want?" Ilia barked through the locked gates. "If you came here for Epona then you can forget it! Why don't you think about what you've done and come back when you've changed your attitude?

Epona stood behind the girl in the shallow water, looking towards her master calmly. With a heavy heart, Link placed his hands onto the struts of the doors and stuck his head through an opening. "Come on, Ilia, please. I need Epona right now."

The girl was far from impressed. "You should have thought about that before you went and hurt your horse," she huffed. The harsh edge in her tone struck him like a bokoblin's club.

"Ilia, I'm sorry Epona was injured," he said. His voice rang with regret. "But you have to understand it wasn't my fault. One of the creatures that attacked us yesterday hit her and-"

"Wait, what?!" she exclaimed, anger temporarily forgotten. For the next few minutes, Link told her in-depth what transpired the previous day. Her shock transformed to horror as he relived his ordeal.

"Oh, Nayru..." Ilia gasped. "I'm sorry, Link! I never knew about what happened! Are you alright?"

"Nothing to worry about too much," he replied, relieved that she believed him. He lifted his shirt to show her the biggest and ugliest of his marks on his right side. Once she recovered from the gruesome sight, Ilia unlocked the gate and allowed the lad to enter. Epona immediately walked up to nuzzle him.

"Her injury doesn't look too serious," Ilia answered his silent question. "But still, be careful with her. And Link..."

She paused as he turned to her. "Can you promise me one thing? Promise me that you'll come back safely, okay? Please don't try to do anything... out of your league."

"Out of my league?" Link chuckled. "What are you expecting me to do while I'm gone?"

Despite her concern, Ilia chuckled as well. "I don't know. After this thing with the boko... whatever they were... I guess I'm just worried, that's all. Link, I care about you, and I want you to come home safe. Because... Link, I... I l-"

Whatever else she was about to say was interrupted as Epona reared on her hind legs and began screaming. The pair of teens turned to her in alarm. Link then noticed that something was not right with the forest. It was far too quiet. Something was wrong.

Then suddenly a rumbling could be heard and the bridge gate shattered with a resounding crack. In the middle of the road came a massive boar far larger than what was natural. Saddled on its hairy back was a giant covered with sickly green skin. Dull steel plating protected its grotesquely fat body, matching the similar armour that adorned its mount. Jutting out from its hooded head was the largest set of horns Link had ever seen. The creature's squashed face leered at them with a cruel grin as it steered its boar towards the humans.

Fear clutched Link's heart as he stared into pair of merciless yellow eyes, paralysing his body and banishing any rational thought. The giant snickered as it pulled out a monstrous, two-handed battleaxe and clubbed the lad with the flat of the blade. Pain overwhelmed Link's senses as his feet left the ground and his back met it a second later. His head throbbed horribly as he sat up. He opened his eyes to see Ilia running to the far end of the spring in a desperate attempt to escape. A smaller creature riding another boar appeared and shot the girl with an arrow. The projectile plunged into Ilia's back and she fell forward with a scream.

"ILIA!" Link shrieked, heart stopping. He scrambled to his feet and ran towards her, quickly realising that there was nothing he could do. Another monster approached from behind and struck the hylian in the head with a heavy club. Stars obscured Link's vision as darkness consumed him. He didn't even feel the water as he collapsed into the spring.

With the pitiful battle already over, the lead monster rode towards the centre of the pool. It took a horn from its belt and held it to its lips. A monotonous note blared out of the opening and shook the leaves in the trees. When the sound finally died, the sky tore open with a black vortex gaping wide above the spring. Red lines ran across the dark shape and spiralled within the tunnel's throat. Its task now accomplished, the creature turned to its minions.

"We are done here," it spoke in a deep, guttural voice. They were not to linger, that had been made clear. "Take what you can and get ready to leave immediately."

A trog, a tad smaller than its leader, rode forward. "What about those two, Orgr?" It indicated towards the unconscious humans. The orgr gave them a shallow glance.

"Take them," it ordered. "The girl will make a fair servant. The boy looks useful for hard labour. Wrap up their wounds so they don't bleed to death on the way, and be quick about it."

The orgr's small group hurried to bind the teenagers and throw them onto the pigs like sacks of grain. One took the wooden sword from the boy's back and tossed it into the trees. The leader blew its horn in two short bursts and led the march onward. As they returned to the bridge, they were met by four more boars, each carrying two green creatures with an unmoving child behind them. Kicking its heels into its steed, the orgr charged across the bridge towards the forest.

The air became thick with an ominous tension as the pre-noon sun vanished under a cloak of darkness. Beyond a bend in the ridge, the road became obstructed by a wall of pure black. Sinister orange light highlighted the barrier's perimeter, offering the only illumination in the enclosed space. As they rode closer, the orgr could make out intricate symbols manifesting on the shroud's surface. A hand left the reins and touched a black pendent around its neck. The amulet began to glow with dark energy as it responded to the power of twilight.

The boars raced right into the barrier, passing through it as though it were made of water. Past it, the world was completely unlike the one they had departed. In place of blue skies and green grass, the forest around the creatures was a palette of gold, brown and black. Shadowy particles floated in their air like dandelion seeds in the wind. The green creatures felt a foul sensation as the forces of the dark world began to take effect.

A groblen at the back of the line watched in amazement as the humans' bodies started to fade and glow with an ethereal light. While there was much it did not understand about the phenomenon, the creature did know that it only noticed this change thanks to the pendent it wore. The necklace's enchantment protected it from the influences of this unholy magic, preventing it from being turned into a spirit like their prisoners. The creature almost pitied the humans.

The groblen then screeched in alarm as the oldest male began to thrash about. While it was still unconscious, agonised screams broke through the human's gritted teeth. The creatures stopped as the youth's movements became more erratic. A harsh light began to shine from its left hand and spread across the rest of its body, blinding its captors.

When the light died, the trolls gasped in awe to find that the human was gone and in its place was a wolf. Its thick fur was a dark colour, almost black under the twilight sky, with a silvery underbelly. Unlike spirits laying around it, however, the wolf did not glow. A mark bearing a triple triangle revealed itself on the animal's paw, glowing faintly with residual power. Another pattern marked its forehead; a jagged circle with a dot in the centre. Studying the wolf, the orgr's lips split into a wide grin. This raid had been more rewarding than originally thought.

In the treetops watching the monsters, a lone figure stared at the wolf with similar interest. It, too, smiled in pleasure, exposing a row of pointed fangs. So the legends were true, the figure thought. As farfetched as it had earlier believed, its plan was coming together exceptionally well. Now all that was left to do was to follow the creatures that continued along the forest path. Patience would the key at this point.

* * *

**Scarlet Curls and I opened up a really good debate when discussing this last part. We have different opinions on whether or not bulblins, bokoblins and moblins were related. My thoughts were that they are all distant cousins at best, and that bublins were more intelligent than the others. After all, when did a bokoblin talk during TP? (Although there was the Great Moblin in the Oracle games to consider...) SC reckons they are all pretty much the same, like how gerudo are supposedly similar to hylians.**

**Reviews are encouraged and feel free to add your own opinion to the bulblin debate if you want. Please remember to be respectful even if you don't agree with what someone else says. We're all human, despite our innermost desires to be otherwise, so let's be civil.**


	5. 5: Down Shit Creek

**I hate guest reviews, I really do. Not because they are unpleasant, but because there is occasionally some really good stuff in them and I have no way of replying to them. I love responding to reviews, and I would love it if people took the time to create an account just so that I could discuss issues and topics with them.**

**I can't believe I got an angry review for the last chapter. I wasn't expecting to get one this early in the story. To the one named Guest, I thank you for your review. No, I will not redo Chapter 4, for I believe that there is a limit to what a person, no matter how strong they may be, can do when they are scared, outnumbered and ill-equipped. Having said that, you did raise an interesting point about Link's strength, and in response I have made a change in my outline for future chapters to address the issue. Thanks to you, I can make the story better than I was planning.**

**Also, I would recommend using spell check. Just saying.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Down Shit Creek**

Pain. That was all that Link knew. Rising from the dark depths of unconsciousness, it was the first and foremost sensation that he felt. More than once he tried to open his eyes, yet the attempts brought him greater agony and he forced them shut again. All he could do was relapse into slumber and endure his discomfort.

At some point the pain receded to a more tolerable level, for Link was able to emerge from sightless dreams. The smell of waste were the first thing he registered. His nose wrinkled from the stench and pulled him further out of oblivion. The world was black as pitch when his lids widened a crack, but the more he opened them the more he could start to make out. Dark stone surrounded him on all sides, forming a room too small to be comfortable. The only source of light seemed to come from a torch, reflecting off the thin metal bars that joined the opposite walls. _Bars?_

Link pushed himself up on shaky legs as he examined the room more closely. He soon realised that he was sitting inside of a prison cell, and he made a mad dash towards the door, foolishly hoping it was not locked. Before he even came close, his advance was halted abruptly as something bit into the lad's neck, cutting off his airways and sending him sprawling to the floor. Spluttering, Link rolled onto his side and reached for whatever was clutching his throat. The impact jarred his hand with a scraping sound like knives against a rock. That was strange...

He looked down at his hand to find it wasn't there. Instead, his gaze fell upon a massive paw tipped with four curling white claws like a dog's. Link jumped from the animal's foot in fright, only for it to leap with him. As the paw struck the cold floor, he felt a jolt run up his arm. He froze as the chilling realisation came to him. That wasn't a dog's paw... That was _his_ paw!

Tearing his eye away from the alien appendage, Link ran his eyes frantically over his body. His clothes were gone, as were his body parts. In their place were those that belonged to a dog. Crossing his eyes to peer at his nose, he saw that it was black and far longer than normal. He twisted around to find a thick, fluffy tail hanging from his behind. Correction; he wasn't a dog; he was a wolf!

Link's chest heaved as he began to hyperventilate. He brought his new paws to clasp his head, but without the forelegs to support him he dropped painfully to the floor. _No... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no_, his overwhelmed mind repeated. How could this have happened? How did he turn into a wolf? It wasn't possible; it just couldn't be. He tried to wrap his head around it and find a logical answer, yet for the life of him Link couldn't think of a single one.

Unable to pinch himself, Link gnawed at his own leg and stopped when it hurt. This was no dream, he discovered to his horror. This was real. A real nightmare! The wolf screamed for help, yet all that emerged from his throat was a howl of grief and confusion. The mournful sound echoed through the dungeon. No response to it could be heard.

After Link's breath gave out, he fell into silence at a complete loss of what to do. He turned his attention to the thing weighing down on his neck and learned it was an iron collar. His keen wolf nose could make out the rust coating the metal. There was a heavy chain attached to the back of the collar, judging from the tension caused as Link tugged at it. The chain connected to a ring fixed to the far wall over a bed of dirty straw, bearing little evidence that it had been cleaned since the cell's previous occupant. Whoever threw him in this cage obviously didn't want him going anywhere fast.

He also felt very uncomfortable. Not from the cold, hard dungeon floor or the unfamiliar body he was in, but from something in the air. It was like the world simply felt wrong, making Link skin crawl underneath his fur. The sensation caused him to look around at every corner for something he couldn't put his finger... paw... on. He felt like he didn't belong here and the entire world knew it.

The wolf frowned... At least, it felt like he was frowning. How _did _he get here, anyway? Where was here? There were no prisons like these in Ordon or anywhere else Link knew of. He dug through his mind furiously, trying to recall the last events that had taken place. It wasn't easy through the pain of his pounding head. The memories were dastardly illusive, but he had to remember what happened if he was to have any hope of making sense of his situation.

He remembered leaving the ranch on the day he was supposed to be travelling to Hyrule with his father. Ilia became angry with him over something to do with Epona and took her to the Spring of Ordona. Link remembered talking with her but could not recall what words were spoken, most likely he had been trying to apologise. Then the gates burst open when that monster and its giant pig came...

_Oh, goddesses!_ Link's eyes flew open. The attack flashed before him vividly; the two teens running for safety; Ilia getting shot; him being clouted from behind trying to save her.

Ilia! Goddesses, she was in danger, still! He leaped to his paws and faltered from the wave of nausea the sudden movement induced. Fighting against the dizziness, he started to pull against the chain. Black spots dotted his vision as the collar strangled him. He gave up when his legs started to go numb from lack of oxygen. He then turned and tried to chew the chain off, though all that did was hurt his gums. _So much for that idea_, he thought as he spat it out. Now what was he going to do?

Returning to the straw bed to brood on his terrible fate, the wolf felt a presence, like someone was watching him. Cautiously, he turned and saw that he was no longer alone. Outside the cell, hovering in the air with no wings to keep it aloft was a strange creature. Its lips parted into a grin as it vanished, reappearing right in front of Link's nose.

"I found you!" it chimed as the wolf jumped back in surprise, smiling with sharp, pointed teeth bared.

The creature was tiny in stature, with stumpy legs and thin arms that reached lower that its waist. Its broad hips and high voice suggested the imp was female. Though it wore no clothing, the fine, black fur over its small breasts and groin gave it the illusion of modesty. Dark markings also completely covered both arms and a leg, and contrasted with the pale grey fuzz of the rest of her body. Her hairless face was black around her yellowed eye while the skin around her mouth was grey as her stomach. A ponytail of bright, orange locks hung from the peculiar stone helmet on the imp's head, covering one of her red irises. To finish off her unusual appearance, the imp's body was decorated with strange, cyan tattoos on forearms, long ears and around her legs.

The imp's helmet attracted a lot of Link's attention. It was dark, and looked too heavy to sit comfortably on its wearer's head, yet the imp didn't appear bothered by the weight at all. Two protrusions stretched high from the top and curled inwards near the end. The piece obscuring her face depicted an eye, staring unblinkingly at the gaping wolf. There was something foreboding about the helmet, like it was the embodiment of the sinister atmosphere around him.

Overall, the imp unsettled him. Link surprised himself as he lowered his body and began growling at the little creature. She merely giggled at him.

"Ooooh! Aren't you scary!" she mocked, laughing some more. She spoke in perfect Hylian, though with a distinct accent he couldn't identify. "Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and glaring at someone isn't very polite. That's too bad... since I was planning on helping you."

Link ceased growling and watched the imp carefully. She wanted to help him? If she didn't set his teeth on edge, he'd be jumping for joy.

"That's better," she smirked. "My, you humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?" The wolf started. This creature also knew what he really was; not some wild animal in a cage? "Oh, wait! But you _aren't _human anymore, now are you?" She began tapping Link under the chin. "You're just a big, furry beast."

Link backed away with his tail tucked between his legs, trying to get as far away from the strange imp as he could. _Stop that_, he tried to say, but all that came out was a series of barks and growls. One of the imp's fangs poked out as she grinned in amusement.

"Oh, don't be like that. I'm here to help you, remember? Just so long as you're a good boy and stay still." Why did that make him feel more anxious?

The imp crossed her hands in front of her chest. Her condescending grin disappeared as her face turned to one of deep concentration. Link's eyes widened as sparks of red lightning manifested between her fingers. He flinched when she suddenly threw her hands forward, sending the bolts right towards him. Link felt no pain, but he did hear the sound of something metallic clattering behind him. He opened a tentative eye to find the chain holding him had been severed. The collar was still stuck on him, but at least he could move more freely.

Link kept staring at the broken links, still glowing red hot. He had just witnessed magic, he realised. But magic didn't exist. It was merely something from fairytales. Yet he had seen it with his own eyes and there was no other explanation, unless he had somehow lost his mind at some point.

"You look surprised," the imp giggled, sticking her tiny nose right in his face. She then flew back towards the door and leaned on the bars casually. Her childlike fingers began playing with a black lock of hair at the base of her neck.

"I bet you're wondering where you are exactly. I'll tell you what; let's make a deal. I'll get you out of here..." The imp then flew up out of sight and landed hard on Link's back, making him grunt. Instantly, he began to buck wildly, trying to shake the creature off. She stuck to him like glue before grabbing the short chain hanging from his collar and pulling hard. The tightening around his neck caused Link to stop, after which the imp released him. "But in exchange, you have to do _exactly _as I say!" she told him. There was no hint of compromise in her little voice.

In these past couple of days with the bokoblins and trolls, Link had never felt so powerless. Now he had this imp holding him literally on a leash. What other option did he have, though? There was no way he could hope to escape on his own. He had to get out of here. He had to get back home and find out what happened to Ilia. The wolf hung his head in submission. The imp huffed her approval.

"Good. Now to get out of this cell." She looked at the door and smirked. "Hang on," she warned ominously.

Link couldn't have anticipated what occurred next. He felt as though he was being sucked in by a mighty current as the floor suddenly lurched from under him. There was this sensation that his body was being broken down and being scattered like a cloud of dust. The room started spinning and he almost lost his balance in the process. The wolf looked around to find he was in the corridor _outside_ of the cage.

_That's it! I've officially lost my mind!_ He panted heavily as he resisted the urge to throw up.

"Well, you coped with that better than expected," she giggled. "Now, come on! Let's get moving!" She then kicked her heels into his sides. Pain stabbed at his ribs as she struck the bruises under his fur.

Moaning to himself, Link took a few steps forward. He stumbled a few times and realised quickly that walking on four legs was awkward. He tried to block out his passenger's chastising remarks so that he could think of what to do. Talo and Malo had a pet puppy, he knew, and he once noticed that there was a certain way in which it walked. The wolf struggled to remember and mimic the technique.

Left front paw moves forward; right back paw moves forward; right front paw forward; left back paw forward; and repeat. Link practiced moving his opposite legs in synch until he could make it to the end of the corridor without having to think too hard. He was quite impressed with himself, as was the imp to an extent.

"Huh, you're smarter than you look. Congratulations, you learned how to walk," she giggled at him. Her laugh was starting to annoy him.

Now that he had moving down, Link checked around for an exit. The imp was no help at all. "Don't look at me. I've done enough for you. Figure it out for yourself. There's got to be some way you can get out."

The main door of the dungeon was solid steel and locked from the outside, so that route was a no-go. Link thought carefully. The imp on his back had to have come in somehow. Perhaps she used more of her magic, but there was also the possibility that she used a different method, one she wasn't telling him about. And from the knowing smirk she wore, he had a good feeling that that was the case.

Link examined each of the other cells in the prison. Many were locked and held human prisoners huddling within them. It quickly became apparent that something wasn't right about the inmates, for Link could see the back walls through their bodies, which glowed with a soft light. Some of the prisoners wore translucent rags filthy with use. Others appeared to be soldiers, judging from their armour, and were probably thrown in more recently.

Each cowered in the corners of their cells muttering in fear about monsters in the castle. _Castle?_ Was the wolf where he thought he was or someplace similar? He turned away from the spirits, none of whom seemed able to hear or see him, strangely enough. The sooner he escaped, the sooner he could find out.

There were a number of cells that were open and unoccupied, though none contained anything particularly useful. A flight of stone stairs led to a lower level filled with more shining spirits. The air seemed damper than it had been upstairs and the floor glistened with moisture. He began to notice how cold and creepy it was, although it probably had to do with being in a dungeon full of ghosts. It probably had to do with being in a dungeon full of ghosts. It wasn't exactly the kind of place you would find warmth and a cheery atmosphere.

At the far end of the hallway, Link found a hole in the base of the wall. The opening had once been barred, but now only metal stumps along the top and bottom could be seen. They appeared to have been cut by something, judging by the strips of metal littered on the ground nearby. The stubs were misshapen at the ends, like they had been melted slightly. Maybe this was how the imp got in? A foul stench came from the hole that reminded Link of the manure bins he had to fill back on the ranch. That added to his theory regarding his mysterious passenger. Now that he thought about it, she didn't smell all that fresh.

The smell from the tunnel was horrible, and it was made even worse by the wolf's more sensitive nose. There was no other way, though, and the imp seemed impatient for him to proceed. "I don't have all day!" she nagged, kicking him again.

With a whimper, Link lowered himself to his stomach and squeezed through the gap. The floor sloped downward from there until it suddenly dropped into nothingness. It was so dark that Link couldn't see, so he was taken by surprise as a sense of weightlessness suddenly took him. He howled a scream on his way down.

He felt water when he landed a second later with a painful splash. The stream was shallow and flowed down another slope, pushing the wolf along the slippery floor. Link plummeted again, this time falling into deeper water. It was too murky to see, and only his feet touching the bottom gave him any indication of where the surface was. Breaking his head out of the water, Link sucked in a lungful of air and regretted it an instant later. If the stench was bad up there, it was absolutely putrid down here!

Link looked around and found a walkway on the side of the canal. Dogpaddling to the edge, he managed to pull himself up onto dry land. He saw the imp floating towards him over the water with not a drop on her. She smirked at him lying drenched on the floor before nudging him with her little grey foot.

"Good job getting this far," she said to him. She flew back with disgust on her face when the wolf began shaking awkwardly to remove the water logging his fur. "We're finally out of that dungeon. But don't think that you're out of the woods yet." Link stared at her as she came up and leaned on his foreleg.

"I'll show you the way out, but afterwards there's someone I'd like you to meet. She'll be able to explain everything that's been going on, and I'm sure you're dying to find out how you're now a beast." Despite the snide tone the creature used, Link's spirits lifted high. Finally, he was going to get some answers for the questions raging among his thoughts. He started walking on his own accord as the imp hopped onto his back again.

The water still in his fur made Link uncomfortable. It stank of waste and made him realise that he was in the middle of an underground sewer. Wherever this place was, it had to be below a large city or some other man-made structure. Link watched something he didn't want to think about float by in the current. He shuddered, unable to believe he had just been swimming in that.

A noise caused the wolf to pause. His ears twitched as he tried to work out where it came from. It sounded like scratching, similar to the sound made by mice scurrying along the rafters of the barn, only larger. Link proceeded slowly, placing one paw lightly before the other.

He made to peek around the corner when something black jumped out in front of him. A horrified yelp escaped him as he bore witness to the creature's appearance. It looked like some kind of malformed rodent, and by Nayru it was huge! The size of a cat! The creature screeched at him and pounced. Link leaped away from its sharp teeth and tried to keep the vile monster at a distance.

"What are you doing?" the imp scolded, beating against the wolf' shoulder. "Fight back! You're supposed to be a predator, aren't you? Attack that thing!"

That was easy for her to say, she wasn't the one the monster rat was targeting. How was he meant to fight back if he didn't even have a weapon? As he retreated again, it occurred to Link that there was very little room to move, and sooner or later there was going to be nowhere left to back up. The thought of being cornered set something off inside the wolf's mind, like a tightened spring in a wind-up toy being released. His leg muscles tensed and a deep growl rumbled in his throat. Unaware of what he was about to do, he sprung forward and caught the rodent in his teeth. The wolf tasted blood as his jaws closed around its writhing body and the cracking of little bones filled his ears. The rat gave out a shrill final screech before falling limp. Its killer let it fall to the floor in a lifeless heap.

Shock, disgust and horror cleared the haze from his thoughts as Link realised what he had done. He had just killed something with his teeth! He retreated from the dead creature, overcome with fear; fear of himself. In a moment of desperation, something had possessed him; an animalistic instinct that overrode his conscience. It had driven him to the creature in the most barbaric manner without a second's pause.

Link could still taste the blood on his tongue, and there was a small part of him that actually enjoyed it. He licked his fangs, salivating from the tangy fluid despite telling himself how wrong that was. Things became worse as his stomach growled audibly, and Link realised that he was starving. How long had it been since he last ate? A day? Two? He found himself sniffing at the mangled corpse. The smell was so enticing...

With a start, he recoiled from the body. What on Farore's green earth was he thinking? The fact that he was reacting this way to something that had been alive just a minute ago disturbed him greatly.

But he was hungry... and who knew where else he'd find food. Once again, the beast inside took over his human aspect and lowered his head to the rodent. His mouth opened on its own and he began to eat. It was still warm. The blood was still wet. The meat was stringy, yet it satisfied the wolf. He picked at it till the bones were clean; and even then he crunched at them to get to the juicy marrow within.

By the end Link felt sick, and not because the meat was bad or that he had eaten it raw. He felt sick because this all seemed wrong. He was a person, not a wild animal; and yet he had just devoured some unknown creature in what he believed was the most inhuman way. Whatever it was that had turned him into this beast wasn't just affecting his body, but his mind as well. Nayru, save him, he had to find a way to change back quickly, before he went mad.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually ate that thing," the imp remarked, sounding both amazed and appalled. She had been surprisingly quiet throughout the wolf's feed. She urged him forward again, this time whipping him with the chain in her grasp. "Come on, supper's over. Hurry up!" Wincing, Link complied, stepping over the remains of his 'meal'.

_That thing was attacking me, _Link thought to himself, trying to rationalise his actions. _I had to kill it, or it would have killed me. And I was starving... That's why I ate it. I didn't have a fire, so I had to eat it raw._ He repeated the arguments in his head innumerable times, yet he gained little comfort in them. What if he was slowly turning into an animal, in both mind and body? What if he never found a way to fix himself? Would he then have to live like this forever? He desperately prayed it wouldn't come to that.

The sewers were like a labyrinth. There were countless tunnels that branched out in different directions, and very corridor looked almost identical to the last. Moss covered the ground in some places, making the path slick. Link prayed that his companion knew where they were going. He didn't want to spend any more time in this horrid place.

Every so often, the imp would tug on the chain or kick to tell him which direction to turn. There a few unpleasant instances when he had to swim through the wastewater to go the way she wanted to, and the imp would always float herself over to avoid touching the foul soup. There were also more of those monsters lurking around, and while Link dealt with them the same as the first, he thankfully wasn't compelled to eat another one.

Overall, he was not happy with the way things were. He was in constant pain; he was soaked; he stank worse than goat dung; he had been imprisoned with no idea where he was; his friends were likely in danger; he had been inexplicably transformed into a wolf; he was seeing ghosts and monsters at every turn; and to top it all off, he had a callous little imp riding him like a horse, beating him and poking fun at his misery. Then he had this tail curled between his legs making it harder to walk and throwing his balance, and he had no bloody idea of how to move the damned appendage. He just wanted to go home.

Home... The word struck a painful cord as Link walked in a sullen daze. Ordon Village felt a thousand leagues away, a distant memory that he found himself unable to return to. Back home, he had lived a simple life, and a comfortable one, at that. He had friends and family he loved dearly. He knew the woods he had grown up in and the animals that dwelled there. And he knew what to expect when he awoke each morning, ready to fall into the same routine he had followed throughout his years.

Here, though, was nothing like home. He was alone, save for the antagonistic creature riding on his back like she owned him. He knew nothing of these cold walls or foul waters that surrounded him now, or of the unholy beasts crawling in the darkness. He had no clue of what to do or where to go, relying solely on the imp for guidance.

What in the world was she anyway? He had no idea who the imp was, where she was taking him or why. Yet she seemed to know plenty about him. How did she know that he was human, and why did she have such an interest in him?

Link's thoughts were interrupted as his guide directed him across the stream ahead. It was too far for him to jump, and the wolf shuddered at the mere notion of swimming through the muck. Yet with no nearby bridge to cross and no other option than to stand there and be kicked by the imp girl, Link held his breath and dove in, trying to get as much distance cleared as possible.

He spent the longest few seconds of his life paddling to the opposite walkway. Once back on solid brick, Link shook himself dry once more, becoming more familiar with the canine behaviour.

As he resumed his forced march, Link's mind turned to Ilia and how he had seen her shot down right before him. He had absolutely no idea whether or not she had survived that arrow, and if she had then it was more than likely that she was in the clutches of those monsters. That left the wolf with two possibilities; that his best friend had been killed, or she was a prisoner as well, wounded and alone. He couldn't be sure of which alternative was worse.

Link was still fretting and sulking when they came to a large chamber. A dilapidated staircase wound its way around the circular room, reaching all the way to the high ceiling above. Drain water poured out of a number of openings to fill the deep basin at the bottom. This had to be their way out, he assumed. The imp made no protest as he began the long climb. Parts of the steps were missing, though he was able to easily leap across any gaps in the flight. The stairs led to another room with a single door. He stared at it in wonder. How was he meant to open it without hands?

"Since you've done most of the hard work so far, I'll be generous," the imp pealed. She levitated over to the knob and gave it a twist. With the door now open and the imp having returned to her seat, Link pressed on and was relieved to see the sky at last. The suffocating grasp of confinement vanished instantly in the open air.

The sun was setting behind a thick blanket of rain clouds. The downpour was cool and gentle, washing the muck from the wolf's coat and leaving him feeling more refreshed. Strangely though, there were thousands of tiny black squares drifting through the air all over the place, which amazed him. Even the imp stopped to admire the scenery.

"My, doesn't the twilight look lovely today," she chirped. "Any idea where you are yet?"

Link saw that the path ahead was still made of stone, the same as the dungeon and the sewer. The walkway was narrow with low walls on either side, similar to a bridge. To the side, however, was an enormous building unlike any he had ever seen before. It reminded Link of the castles in those old storybooks his mother used to read to him. The main building consisted of multiple storeys with countless windows dotting the walls. All around him were a number of towers, perfectly cylindrical with tall, pointed steeples stretching unbelievably high.

"That's where we're going," the imp told him, pointing to one of the taller towers. "The person I want you to meet is in there. You better hurry up, though. She's a _very_ important person." She giggled again to Link's obvious confusion. What was it that she found so amusing?

The rain made the ramparts slippery. A battle must have taken place at some point recently, for sections of the brickwork appeared to have been broken off. Link took care not to lose his footing as he crept around a cavity in the edge of the path. The stone gave way under one paw, and the wolf gasped in fright as he fought to find his footing again.

The trek became even more treacherous as the largest, most horrendous black birds attacked him. Their beakless heads were shaped like horns, with harrowing cries to match. Link tried to evade them as they swooped, yet the monsters were too fast to outrun. With no other choice, he reluctantly placed his fate in the hands of his new senses. The wolf waited to lunge at the birds' slender necks as they came within range. They were tougher foes than the monsters in the sewers, but they met the same grim end.

Link was forced to stop when the walkway ended at a pile of rubble. The uneven surface coupled with the rain made it too dangerous to scale over, and to this point he had been walking in a straight line with no branching paths. The imp hummed to herself before spotting something to the side. She tugged at the leash for him to turn.

"Over there!" The wolf moved closer to the edge and saw some scaffolding between where they were and a nearby rooftop. "I bet you could jump that," the imp stated. Link looked down and discovered that they were _very_ high up. Vertigo twisted his stomach in knots and made his legs go weak. He backed up to a nice safe distance away from the edge. That did not impress his companion in the slightest.

"Oh, grow a pair, will you? It's not even that far!" she barked, hitting him atop the head. "Look, I'll go over there and lead you to safe footing. Just make sure you don't botch the jump and miss." The imp left his back and hovered over to a small wooden platform. Her ponytail then came to life, reaching over her head and beckoning him like a giant hand.

Link looked to her, then the drop below. If he fell, he'd no doubt become the hairiest red stain in the world. He couldn't do it. He wouldn't do it. He'd much rather go back to his cell in the dungeon. At least there it was safe and dry.

"Come on!" the imp shouted angrily. "Do you want to get your old form back or not?" He would have answered, but at the moment he lacked the capacity. He _did_ want to get out of this body and find his way back to Ordon. And to do that, he would have to put faith in this little creature, regardless of how badly she treated him.

_Just don't look down. Just don't look down. Take a running start. Just don't look down._ Swallowing his fear, Link kicked his paws into the stonework and ran. He threw all his strength into the leap and felt his heart enter his throat as he sailed over the abyss. The wolf wondered how painful dying would be when something hard slammed into him a second later. Daring a peek from beneath clenched eyelids, Link met a pair of tiny, mismatched feet standing in front of his nose.

"See? That wasn't so bad. You even made it with at whole foot to spare." Link's body had forgotten how to move until the imp gave him a well-placed kick in the ribs. Shakily finding his paws, he saw that he was on the scaffold and very much alive. His heart beating faster than a butterfly's wing was proof of that.

He had to make another jump to reach the next building, but the distance was shorter and Link made it across with minimal trouble. His claws clicked on the roof tiles in a chorus of scratches as they made their way to the tower at a cautious pace. An open window was their entry point as the wolf hopped down to a rounded staircase. The imp complained loudly when he sprayed her with his soaked fur. It was a sweet dose of payback for all the torment he had endured, even if it hadn't been intentional.

There seemed to be little point going downstairs if they were in a tower, so Link climbed the spiralling steps until they came across a set of double doors left ajar. He pushed it open with his nose and quickly scanned the room beyond. It appeared to be a bed chamber barely larger than Link's dining room. Despite its size, the room was barren with little more than a bed, a fireplace, a table and a few chairs. Gazing out of the only window was a figure in a dark cloak. The person apparently heard him approach, for they turned without any cry of alarm. All he could make out from under the hood was a sharp, angular nose.

"Midna... you've returned. Have you found the one you've been searching for?" The figure's voice was clearly female. Her words were silken in the wolf's ears and gave him a sense of peace, much unlike the imp, whom he assumed was this Midna.

"Oooh, you remembered my name. I'm honoured." Midna giggled in her usual mocking manner. It would seem that her attitude towards him wasn't a special case. She patted Link lightly on the head, which managed to feel condescending.

"He's not exactly what I was hoping for," she answered the cloaked woman. "A real wuss if you ask me. But I guess he'll have to do." He craned his head to her questioningly. _I'll have to do for _what_?_

The woman noticed the chain twirling idly in Midna's fingers, then down to the thick collar around Link's neck. "You were imprisoned," she spoke sadly. "I'm sorry. I hope you didn't suffer greatly." _Finally, some sympathy!_

Midna chuckled. "The poor thing. He doesn't know what's happened or where he is. Why don't you explain it to him? After all, it was your actions that led to this. Isn't that right, Twilight Princess?" Another question in Link's buzzing mind. What did she mean by that title? He also noticed a touch of contempt creep into the imp's tone.

The woman ignored her and met the wolf's gaze as though he were another person. Maybe she knew that he was? "Listen to me," she said with urgency. "This land was once the bright and prosperous kingdom of Hyrule." The wolf perked his ears at the name. "However, much of the country has become swallowed by eternal twilight, ruled by the king of the shadows.

"The attack came with virtually no warning. Shadow beasts stormed the castle in the hundreds, appearing as though they emerged from the shades. My soldiers fought hard, yet their sheer numbers and overwhelming strength tore away our defences. If one of the beasts fell, another would revive it. We lost the battle before it had even started.

"We made our final stand in the throne room. There, the enemy king himself came before me. With the last of my men at his creatures' mercy, he gave me two options; surrender or death for the entire kingdom. Fearing for my people, I submitted and watched as the twilight began to spread. Without the light that nurtures our world, its inhabitants were reduced to spirits, as you may have already seen. They live unaware of their fate and in constant fear of a nameless evil.

"Although my beloved Hyrule has fallen, I remain its princess." She pulled back the cowl over her head, revealing the face of a young woman. Her features were soft and angelic, complemented by pointed hylian ears. Deep blue irises gazed at the wolf with unfathomable wisdom. Long, straight, brown hair was styled in a regal fashion under a thin golden tiara. "I am Zelda."

Link's eyes widened. The woman talking him was _the _Princess Zelda. Immediately, he bowed his head in respect. He could not believe he was actually in the presence of the princess, or that she had been speaking directly to him. It was implausible; absurd; unreal. Yet lo and behold, there she was. He wished he had the village tribute with him. Though after hearing what Zelda had told him, they seemed to have bigger concerns at the moment.

"You don't have to sound so sad," Midna said to her. "We actually find it quite liveable. Is perpetual twilight really that bad?"

The princess knitted her brows in response. "Midna, this is not the time for levity."

"Why not?" the imp cheekily replied. "A little optimism never hurt anyone."

Zelda's frown deepened, yet her tone remained level. "The shadow beasts have been scouring the entire kingdom for you. Is there any reason why this is?"

Midna levitated over the wolf and turned her back nonchalantly. She hummed in light thought before shrugging. "You tell me. I don't have a clue." The imp chuckled again, but this time Link thought it sounded forced. Zelda appeared unconvinced as well, though she addressed him again instead of pressing further.

The princess lowered her gaze with a sad sigh. "Even after I made my decision, I'm forced to live with the same choice before me; submission or destruction. The king of the shadows allows me to roam the castle freely, but his creatures are there to watch me at every corner. If I were to ever try to escape or rise against him, he will slaughter the citizens without mercy. As such, I've been made a prisoner, held by the love I bear for my people in place of shackles and locks."

Link could only imagine what that must feel like; to be forced under the will of somebody to protect the people he loved. Then again, the imp on his back had him wrapped around her little finger with her ultimatums. In a way, he supposed he did know what that felt like.

Zelda then raised her head, her expression showing conserved determination "All is not lost, however. While the rest of the world has been turned into spirits, you have instead been transformed into a beast. The goddesses have blessed you with a great gift. Their power protects you from the twilight's magic."

She lifted her right hand with the back facing him. An image of three triangles flashed brilliantly through her glove. "I, too, possess this sacred power, allowing me to maintain my physical form. It's through these gifts that I'm able to speak to you now."

Link stared at the golden mark in awe. It was exactly the same as the one on his paw. Looking at it, he saw it was glowing in response, albeit much fainter. _Wait a minute... So this 'gift' is what changed me into a wolf. But the princess has this same gift, yet she seems to look like her true self._ A scowled crossed his lupine face. _What a rip-off! Why did I get turned into an animal and not her?_

"Time is growing short," Zelda spoke, staring towards the open door. "The guard will return soon." She looked back to Link. "Listen carefully, wolf. I understand this is a lot to ask, but you're our only hope now. Once you escape from here, seek out the light spirits and find a way to lift the twilight. This may also be the key to restoring your human state."

The wolf gawked at her. She just asked him to do _what_, now? How was he supposed to end this eternal twilight? He was just a normal person from a farming community. Hell, he was less than that; he was an animal that couldn't even open a door himself, let alone save a whole kingdom. Link would have protested if the imp hadn't yanked on the chain.

"Come on, now!" she ordered. "We've got to move! Run!"

Zelda remained silent as she watched the wolf reluctantly turn away. Link glanced back to see her nod at him. The simple gesture gave him some small reassurance. Quickly, he descended the stairs until his collar strangled him once more. He barely avoided stumbling as Midna leaned close to his ear and instructed him to be quiet. Further down, Link heard the creaking of a door opening.

"Not that way!" his companion whispered harshly. "The guard's coming! Man, he's prompt."

She scanned their surrounding with haste and spotted the window they had used earlier. Following her lead, Link succeeded in jumping up to the high ledge. He hurried to pull himself up as heavy footsteps echoed below him. Getting all four paws over, the wolf hopped out onto the roof outside in the nick of time.

Midna sprung off of him and bounced an impressive few metres ahead. Floating in the rain, she stared down at Link with her mocking smirk. "So, you know where you are now? Well, a promise is a promise, so I'll send you back to where you came from."

A wave of relief washed over him. Finally, he would be back in Ordon where he can find out what happened to Ilia. And he would also be free of this pest of an imp.

"But... are you sure you should be going back?" she grinned smugly. "Haven't forgotten anything important, have we?" With a spin, the imp was gone, replaced by an image of Colin, then Ilia. Both screamed in pure terror at some unseen danger.

Horror struck Link again. Why did he see Colin screaming? Was he in danger as well? Were the rest of his friends and family in trouble?

The phantom of Ilia laughed in the imp's voice. "If you want to save them then I'd be happy to help you. But... you'll have to be my servant, so you would have to do exactly as I tell you to."

Link growled as the imp reverted to her original shape. He hated that she was using his friends to blackmail him. His response only widened her grin. "Why don't you have a think about it for a while? Take your time, but don't forget what's at stake, here."

With a snap of her fingers, a familiar sensation spread throughout Link's body. He couldn't move as his feet disintegrated into dozens of black particles. The packets shot up towards the sky where they disappeared from sight. Giggling in amusement, Midna flew after them.

Back in the princess's chamber, Zelda had returned to staring out the window overlooking the haunted city. The guard had spent little time with her as it delivered her meal. When the door closed behind it, the monarch's hands clasped together. She prayed to the goddesses to watch over the blue-eyed beast and guide him on the road to his destiny.

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**Sorry that this chapter was a little late. There were some delays with getting it published.**

**Thanks again to Scarlet Curls for the harsh beta reading. This time I didn't just get grilled, I got roasted****. Still, I wouldn't be writing nearly as well on my own, so every effort helps.**


	6. 6: A Monster in Your Eyes

**Sorry about another slightly late update. There were more things that needed to be fixed for the final product with this chapter. Once again, thank you to Scarlet Curls for your help and patience.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Monster in Your Eyes**

The world around Link was black; completely lightless. There was no sound to be heard, even as he screamed from the shock of the experience. He felt weightless, as if he were suspended in water, yet felt nothing around him. No wind blew in the darkness as far as he could tell. There was only nothing. He was nothing. Then all of a sudden, the universe exploded into colour and something wet pooled around his feet before his legs gave out. A loud splash followed his collapse.

Link blinked to clear his eyes then scanned his surroundings. Breaking into a grin, he saw the familiar trees surrounding the Spring of Ordona. He was home. He was actually home!

He started to laugh but quickly stopped, greatly disturbed. The laugh didn't sound right. It sounded closer to a whine than anything else. A chill washed down Link's spine as he slowly stood and lowered his gaze to the ground, begging to find human legs underneath him. Instead, all he saw in the ankle-deep water was a pair of large paws. His heart almost stopped. Link checked the rest of his form, covered in nothing but greenish-grey fur. Gods damn it, he was still a wolf!

Was he still in the twilight? Link looked up at the sky. Dead centre above the spring was a black hole highlighted by red glyphs, completely unlike anything Link had ever heard of. It projected an ominous presence like an unblinking eye watching all beneath it. The wolf felt exposed underneath it.

Around the hole, a sea of stars greeted Link, twinkling as brightly as a billion fireflies. It was night in the woods; not dusk. The twilight had not yet reached Ordon. But then why was still a wolf? Was he going to be stuck like this forever? Link's heart galloped at the thought.

"Interesting... Even though you're not in the twilight anymore, you haven't returned to your true form. I wonder why that is?"

Link searched around him. That teasing voice had come from the imp, Midna. There was no mistaking it. Where was she, though? As far as he could see, he was alone.

Beneath him, the wolf's shadow shifted and rose from the spring, taking on the shape of the impertinent girl. "Thought you'd seen the last of me, huh?" she laughed. "I've been here this whole time; right under your nose."

Her body was now entirely black and possessed a transparent quality, as if it were made of pure shadow. The only colour came from her single, brilliant yellow eye. Its ruby iris watched him with unmasked amusement.

"Looks like this area hasn't been swallowed up by the twilight," Midna continued. "I wonder how long that will last, though." In the dim light, he could just barely make out the outline of her toothy grin. Link's head jerked back at as he realised the danger that Ordon was in. Soon or later the twilight would spread, and his friends and family would be turned into wraiths just like the people trapped under Hyrule Castle.

"So what will you do now?" Midna smirked, resting her chin in her palm. "Will you go after your friends and try to save them? If so, you could be out of luck. They were taken through the forest, which is now covered in twilight. You won't be able to simply follow them." The wolf stared at her in question.

"Beings from the light can't pass through the barrier on their own. You'll need someone _from_ the twilight to let you in; like me, for example."

She paused to let the words set in, smirking at the animal's hopeless gaze. "If you want to rescue your friends, you'll need my help; and if you want that, you'll have to become my servant. In simple terms, you do everything I say to the letter." The wolf watched her silently, but otherwise gave no sign of protest. "For now, I want a sword and shield that'll suit me. I can hardly go riding through the wilderness without being able to defend myself, now can I?"

The imp exchanged her smirk for a harder expression. "Now get going! The sooner you finish this task, the better." Without waiting for any sort of reply, she vanished back into Link's shadow. The phenomenon astonished the wolf, and a part of him wanted to know how she did that, yet he decided to let the matter go. Asking such questions was beyond his abilities, and even if he could speak, Link had more important things to worry about. He began to walk towards the exit.

"_Beware._"

Halfway across the spring, Link stopped in his tracks. That voice hadn't come from Midna. It was too deep, and seemed to echo from all sides at once.

"_A shadow being approaches._" the foreign voice warned. "_Guard yourself._"

Before Link could think, something plummeted from the sky, splashing heavily into the pool. A black monster, large and more horrendous than anything imaginable, picked itself up and shrieked like a demon. The call drove daggers into his ears and Link screamed from the pain. When the shriek ceased, Link fixed his bulging eyes on the creature, begging himself to look away.

He stared at its face; obscured by a flat, featureless mask. It had no eyes visible to Link, yet it stared straight at him with blood-chilling malice. Long, thin tendrils whipped back from its face as it glared at him, causing Link to back away quivering

The monster charged at Link, then pounced with its long arms reaching out to kill. Link could only dodge its sharp claws and ran towards the exit. His escape was foiled when a great weight crashed into him, pressing him into the water. Detaching itself from its prey, the monster lifted him up in one hand and threw Link to the far end of the spring like a rag doll.

"What are you doing?" Midna screamed at him. "You can't run from that thing! You have to attack!"

Link picked himself up, wincing. As much as he was loath to admit it, she was right. That horror was too fast for him to flee, and its sole intention was to rip him apart. If he wanted to live – and he did, very much so – his only choice was to kill it before it killed him.

By now Link was more familiar with his new body. He waited for the beast to draw closer then struck after dodging another swipe. His jaws clamped onto the demon's arm, and it roared in anger. Link lost his grip as the beast swung him around and felt himself fly through the air. The water broke his fall, but it still hurt.

More splashing heralded the monster's charge. Link stood quickly and dashed away just before its claws tore him open. Wheeling around, his enemy had plenty of fight in it despite the arm hanging limp at its side, dripping red liquid into the clear pool. It didn't look like it was in pain and Link swallowed. The demon crawled forward with the same dead stare on its masked face. Link whimpered as he reared further away, waiting for the end.

"Bite its neck!" Midna shouted. "You have to kill it in one attack!"

At that point, Link was willing to do anything. Dodging another swipe, he tensed his leg muscles and pounced, knocking the monster over. The two beasts struggled as Link inched closer to his enemy's throat. Hot blood exploded into his mouth as his fangs tore into the flesh. The flavour triggered something in the wolf, and Link thrashed his head savagely. When the monster fell limp, Link released it. His chest heaved as he retreated from the body.

Midna rose from the shadows towards the creature then shot a bolt of magic it, setting the corpse aflame. As the monster burned, Link heard her murmur something he couldn't understand before she turned her attention to the black hole high above her. After a minute of small, complex gestures, the red runes on the vortex's surface changed to a softer green hue. He then watched the imp return to his shadow without any smart or scathing remark. For a second, he thought he saw her shoulders slumped before she vanished.

As the body burned beside him, Link made to leave before something else attacked him. Then the spring suddenly started to glow and he stopped. Link blinked and turned around, gasping as he did so.

Arcane runes lit up on the rocks along the waterfall, spreading out until the water flared with golden light. The altar, too, shone as the pool churned before it. The brightness caused Link to squint, barely making out a sphere shining like a small sun. It pulsed with vibrant life, banishing the darkness of the woods.

From the orb, more shapes emerged. First was a circle around the central light, which extended to form a goat's head. A large matching body soon followed, and the complete apparition cried a divine song. Link at the magnificent spirit. It looked to him with a timeless gaze.

"_Thank you,_" the spirit addressed him. Its voice was vaguely female and rang with an ancient quality. "_I am one of the four spirits of light that watch over this world created by the goddesses. I am Ordona._"

_Ordona_. Link's eyes widened at the name. He stood frozen before the spirit, not sure as of what to do. He was he supposed to show respect? Should he bow like a human, or sit like a dog?

"_The beast you had slain was a being of the shadows,_" Ordona continued. "_Its purpose was to steal my sacred power of light. Already, my brethren have lost their light to the fell beasts, and so this land has been reduced to a netherworld ruled by the powers of darkness. This blight will continue to spread throughout the world until all has fallen into the hands of the king of the shadows._

"_If this calamity is to be avoided, the spirits and their lost light must be restored. There is only one who can save them and cleanse the darkness from the land... You._"

Link started. _Me...?_

"_The power of twilight has corrupted you, transforming your body into that of a beast. However, your affliction also serves as a blessing. While those of the light revert to mere spirits within the twilight, you remain in physical form; able to manipulate the world and fight back against the foul creatures that dwell in darkness. You do not yet understand your true power._

"_In order to succeed, you shall need to regain your original form. Return to the Faron Woods where you first transformed and aid the light spirit that has lost his power. There you may find the means to banish the curse that plagues your body... Now go, and bring the light to this land once more._"

With that the spirit began to fade, vanishing in a swarm of luminous particles. The night returned with its natural sounds of crickets and owls among the gurgling of the stream. Link stood there motionless, trying to process everything the light spirit had said.

Soon, Midna popped out and nagged him to get going. Although he began walking away from the spring, Link hadn't really been paying attention to the imp and was occupied by his thoughts. What had Ordona meant by his 'true power'? Did she know something about him that he didn't? That seemed to be a recurring theme, lately, much to his annoyance.

He wished he knew what was going on. But first, though, he would have to find a way to get out of this wolf form; and it looked like to do that, he would have to find those items for the imp. Fast.

Link broke into a run, feeling clumsy now that he wasn't faced with imminent danger. Moving as a wolf seemed easier when he was acting solely on instinct, but as he became more conscious of his actions, it became a challenge not to tangle up his legs and trip. Adding to his difficulty was the distraction caused by the chain of Link's collar, which clinked as it swung into his forelegs. Despite it all, he only stumbled twice before he reached the ridge beside his home, where he found a scene that he didn't want to see.

The clearing outside of his house was ruined. The ground was torn beyond recognition. Broken pieces of his scarecrows lay scattered in the trampled grass. Epona's stable had been reduced to nothing more than a pile of firewood, with the mare nowhere to be seen. Link's stomach dropped as he took in the devastation. What in the world happened to his home?

He sprinted further down the track until he reached the rest of the village. As far as he could make out in the darkness, the earth there was ravaged as well, and some of the vegetable patches had been destroyed. Squashed pumpkins littered the soil like corpses on a battlefield. Some of the crops had survived, though it might not be enough to sustain Ordon past winter.

Fortunately though, the houses were more in less all intact. The worst was Sera and Hanch's, which appeared to have been set ablaze, yet the damage did not seem too extensive. There was a small, blackened hole in the roof, but the rest of the building was untouched. Fado's house nearby was scarred where the wood had been torn, as if carved by the claws of some fierce beast.

Further ahead, the storehouse door had been ripped from its hinges, and a part of the cucco pen was broken in. Everywhere else, however, appeared normal. The only other thing wrong was how quiet it was. Where was everyone?

Light from a burning torch brought Link hope and relief, and he ran towards it. Quickly, he remembered the chain clinking at his side. As much as he wanted to know that the villagers were safe, he didn't want them to see him like this. They would probably panic. Twisting around, he clamped the links between his teeth. They made less noise that way but they still seemed too loud to Link. At least he didn't have to worry about his footsteps being heard, for the ground was soft from recent rain.

Crossing the bridge over the stream, Link made his way slowly to Jaggle's house. He found the man outside the door accompanied by his wife, as well as Bo and Hanch. Link lowered himself and crept behind the tall grass just outside the firelight's range. It irked him that he was sneaking around in his own village like this.

"Jaggle, how are those shields going?" Bo asked. In his hand was a brutal-looking mace studded with blunt spikes.

"Been trying to make as many as I can," the stout man replied. "Not my best work, but they'll do. I made enough for everyone, plus a few spares just in case." In Jaggle's hand by his side was his axe. From the light reflecting from the torch, Link could tell that it was well-honed.

The mayor nodded. "Good. In the morning, hand those out to everybody. Right now I'm going back to search for the children again."

From the undergrowth, Link's breath hitched. _The kids were taken? Colin! Oh dear goddesses.._. Meanwhile, the farmers were still talking to one another, unaware that they had an eavesdropper.

"Jaggle's right, mayor," Pergie spoke with strained reason. "Going off alone is suicide, especially in the middle of the night. Rusl was a trained Hyrulean soldier and even he got hurt trying to fight those devils!" Pergie paused to take a shuddering breath. "I want my babies back safe as much the rest of you, but I don't want to risk losing anyone else."

"What are we even going to do if we find those things?" Hanch whispered. He was a greater wreck than the rest of them. "We couldn't do anything to stop them and..."

Bo turned to the man with a furious scowl. "Enough! Damn it, Hanch! That kind of talk isn't helping anyone! We will find the kids, and we will rescue them! And the sooner we do, the sooner we can all rest easy." He faced the woman evenly. "I'll be careful. This isn't the first time that I've trekked a forest at night. If I don't find anything soon, I'll come straight back."

"What if they _had _been taking through that black wall in Faron Woods?" Jaggle asked. "We can't get past it but maybe those monsters could."

The mayor hesitated. "If that's the case then I don't know what to do. It's still possible they took a different route, though; those woods stretch everywhere for miles. We have to keep looking. If we give up on the children, they're as good as dead."

Link chose that moment to leave and crept away silently. He didn't want to risk the mayor catching him with that mace. His held his head low as he crossed the bridge and hid behind the storehouse. He felt numb with his heart weighing like a block of lead. Goddesses, everything was all wrong.

At least Link knew where to acquire the items he was after. That was a small comfort. Jaggle would most likely be keeping the extra shields in his attic, where his workshop was. And if his father had been hurt in the raid then he hadn't yet delivered the royal tribute, meaning the gift sword was somewhere with him. Link's lips parted in a silent growl. Why couldn't Midna steal the things herself instead of making him do it? She was the one who wanted them.

The shield was closest, so Link opted to get it first. Taking shelter among tall grass, Link staked out the wheelhouse, searching for a way to break in. Jaggle and Pergie had both gone inside, but light only shone through the shutters on the ground floor. Link didn't think he could sneak in through the door without being seen, assuming that he could even get it open. This was going to be more difficult than he thought.

He had been sitting there for five minutes when Midna's head emerged from his shadow. "Hey, up there." He followed her spectral finger to an open window at the upper level of the house. "Man, this place is full of idiots! Who the hell leaves a window wide open after being attacked?"

Link almost growled at the insult but resisted in case he was heard. He did admit that it was a foolish thing to do.

He had considered using the window, but ruled it seemed too hard to reach. However, looking at the shape of the waterwheel in front him, he could now see how it could be possible. If Midna gave him a hand, he might manage to climb up. He padded up to the bank across from the waterwheel and waited. Hopefully the imp would take the hint.

She did. A few seconds later, Midna flew over to hover above the side of the wheel. Link studied its slow rotation and assessed the best time to act. If he missed, it would mean a cold dip in the river, and the resulting splash could alert the villagers of his presence. He could not afford to make a mistake.

Not wanting to stick around in the open, he jumped as far as he could. The action brought a bolt of pain to Link's sides, reminding him of his bruises. He squealed sharply from the impact as his front paws connected to one of the paddles, the rest of him hanging precariously over the side. He felt a strange force pull his bottom half up the rest of the way.

As he reached the top of the wheel's cycle, Link leaped onto the roof and looked to the shadow girl floating beside him. Had she helped him up just then? Believing it to be, he gave her a nod in thanks. She made no response except a slight inclination of her head. Sensing that he wasn't going to get anything more than that, Link led the way into the attic.

The room was an unusual balance between order and chaos. Along the walls, tools of various shapes hung in a neat fashion according to size and type. The top of the worktable, however, was cluttered with mismatched items, all crafted from wood. Link gave gasped lightly as his eyes fell onto a decent shield near the edge of the desk. He walked through the fine sawdust coating the floorboards and hopped up to get a better look.

Midna did the same. "Looks pretty cheap..." she critiqued, eyeing the irregularly round buckler. Link tried to shrug but found that his shoulders didn't work that way anymore. He then took the shield in his mouth, and carefully dragged it out from under the pile. Despite his efforts, the objects on top moved along with the shield. Link cringed as the lot crashed onto the floor.

The wolf's ears twitched as he heard footsteps quickly approaching. "Something's in my workshop!" Jaggle shouted from behind the closed door. Panicking, Link bit the buckler tighter and made for the window. He heard the lock rattling then the door slamming open as Link ducked outside.

"What on earth happened here?"

"Pergie, stay downstairs! Whatever it was might still be here!"

The footsteps in the attic, threw Link into a state of panic. Any moment, Jaggle could stick his head out the window and spot him. He needed to get down now! Link peered over the edge of the roof to the lake below. He'd dived from high ledges before, but he didn't doubt that the splash he'd make would be heard.

Time was growing short as the footsteps became louder. Link abandoned his reservations and jumped, hitting the water hard. The impact wrenched the shield free from Link's mouth, and he struggled to grab it again before someone came to investigate.

"What was that?" Jaggle's head appeared over the ledge a split second after Link paddled close to the house. For a heart-pounding minute, Link stayed silent until the carpenter disappeared into the workshop again. He then swam to the opposite end of the bank before anyone else found him

Link crawled into a bed of reeds near Sera's shop and slumped heavily onto his belly, spitting out the wooden object. He coughed up the small amount of water he had swallowed. He continued to lie there, panting in the mud. The villagers' voices carried to him from the wheelhouse, though he was unable to make sense of them.

Standing up, Link took a good look at the shield. It was as big as a serving platter and was bare of any decoration. The craftsmanship was a little on the crude side, but Jaggle probably hadn't built it to look pretty. Link simply hoped that his companion would be satisfied with it.

Midna popped in front of him and crossed her arms with a smirk. "Not bad, wolf. See what you can do when you apply yourself." She snapped her fingers and the shield vanished in a black flurry, to Link's astonishment. This imp girl was full of surprises.

"Alright, enough slacking off. Next up is the sword." The imp then rubbed at her chin. "Now where could that be?"

Link checked that the area was clear before emerging from cover. The water dripping from his coat was freezing in the night air, making him shiver. None of the villagers were near where he was, and any activity seemed to be focused around Jaggle's house. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Link crept across the village to his parent's home.

This time getting inside wasn't as big of a problem, for Link already had a plan in mind. Back when he had been living with his parents still, there had been a couple of loose boards in his and Colin's room. The pair had dug out the dirt underneath and used the space as a secret storage. Although the objects they stashed were hardly worth hiding, consisting of a few rupees and keepsakes, the hole, itself, was special as it was something to the two brothers. As far as Link was aware, their parents had no idea that the hole existed.

He didn't want to go the quick way around, as it would mean passing the small stable by the side of the house and risk waking Andel. The old warhorse was trained to give warning of nearby dangers, and a wolf lurking around the house would most certainly count as such. Instead, Link skirted the other direction, past his father's forge. There were no walls around the cold furnace, for his father claimed that the open air helped to cool the metal faster. This gave Link plenty of cover among the workbenches and barrels, allowing him to sneak through safely.

The wolf ran a careful estimate of where he was in relation to the bedroom. Link picked a spot and began to dig. His large paws tore through the soil with ease.

Link worked at a slow pace so as to reduce the noise that he made. He stopped every few moments to check that no one had heard him or was approaching, then resumed. Stopping... Starting... Stopping... Starting... Stopping... Starting... It was excruciating, but after fifteen minutes he had made a tunnel large enough to crawl through.

He continued to dig deeper, working his way under the walls. Another ten minutes and something emerged from the soil, causing him to stop. From the feel of it he guessed it was a rupee, although its colour was a mystery in the dark. Knowing he was on the right track, he kept going until his claws raked softly against wood.

Link nudged the board with his nose and it lifted without a great deal of effort. He had to squeeze his way through, but the wolf managed crawled into the dark room. Solidifying his fears, Colin wasn't there asleep in his bed. The sheets were empty, lying on the mattress in an untidy bundle in front of a lonely pillow. Link padded over to the bed, feeling the hole widening inside him. He could smell his brother's scent in the linen.

_"When I grow up, I want to be just like you. I'd like to learn how to ride a horse sometime."_

Link bit back a growl. "_Please be alright, Colin. I'll find you, I promise._"

A streak of light shone through the open door. Link bit his chain again and stepped carefully to prevent his claws from clicking on the wooden floor. He stuck his head through the gap and held his breath. A dying fire crackled in the hearth at the opposite wall, barely illuminating the living space. Braving a further peek, Link retreated a few paces when he found two bodies lying nearby. There was no cry of alarm or movement to suggest he had been detected. Slowly, he entered the main room fully. It hurt to see what he did.

His father rested on the couch with a blanket covering him. If not for the red gash along his cheekbone or the thick bandage around his head, he would have appeared to be sleeping peacefully. The swordsman's leg was also dressed with bloodstained linen; the bad leg. Link shifted his gaze onto the Rusl's hand, swathed to cover another wound.

In the armchair beside her husband, Link's mother sat with her head resting on the arm of the couch. Her closed eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks glistened from tears running in thin streaks. Her usually tidy hair was in a mess, sitting in dull strands.

Link didn't what to stay there any longer. Not only was the sight painful to bear, Link feared that his parents would wake at any moment. Head twisting in all directions, he searched around for the tribute. The sword was propped against the wall by the front door. Link took its sheath in his mouth and lifted it, barely able to fit it in with the thick chain. Maintaining silence, Link returned towards the bedroom for his exit.

"Link..." The wolf's head snapped towards the woman, nearly hitting the sword on a chest of drawers. His mother was still asleep, whispering miserably from the realm of dreams. "Colin... Where are you...? Please come home... Please..."

Link went to comfort her, barely stopping himself before he placed a paw onto her arm. His eyes glistened longingly at his parents, wishing that he could let them know that he was there. Returning to the bedroom, Link pushed the door wider to get the sword through. He then turned to his parents one last time.

_I'm sorry. I love you._

Tearing his eyes away, Link padded back into the dark room and stood over the tunnel entrance. It was then that he realised that the sword was too long for him to carry it through with the way he was holding it. He waited for Midna to appear and take the sword from him, though it took half a minute for her decide to do so. Unburdened by the cumbersome weapon, Link wriggled into the tunnel and crawled through. Moonlight could not have met his face soon enough.

As he shook the dirt from his fur, Midna appeared once more. "Excellent," she chimed "Now we have everything I need. Good boy." Link didn't share in her merriment, not that she cared.

"Let's head over to the forest like that spirit said," Midna spoke. "Just look for the big wall of twilight. You can't miss it." With a laugh, she vanished again.

Standing alone behind the house, Link's thoughts returned to Colin's empty bed and his parents injured and miserable. It made his heart ache. It made him angry. Those monsters were not going to get away with this. Link would make sure of that.

He should have been paying more attention, for Link had gone in the wrong direction. Instead of retracing his steps through the forge, he wandered the other way past the stable. He jumped at the sound of an angry voice.

"Wolf! Wolf in the village!"

Link's head shot up in alarm. He didn't recognise who had spoken. He turned to the voice's source to stare at the old chestnut horse glaring at him. _Andel?_ The wolf's mouth gaped as the larger animal's moved as the words were spoken. Except, they weren't words; Andel still roared and whinnied as a horse should, yet somehow Link could understand him.

"Take advantage while we're vulnerable, will you, wolf?" the horse roared. "While the humans are out searching for their lost young, you're happy to pick off a few cuccos or a goat?"

Andel slammed against the low door that separated him from the dumbstruck wolf. The wood shuddered from the impact though the lock held. "Wait until my master catches you, you wretched predator!"

The threat was enough to jumpstart Link's brain. His ears pricked as he heard shouting coming from afar. Forgetting about the talking horse, Link turned and fled as fast as he could. Light washed over him as he passed the front of the house. He dared a glance behind and saw his father standing in the doorway, gripping on the frame for support. The swordsman's eyes spotted the shape moving through the darkness. Unable to pursue the creature and being without his bow, Rusl yelled loudly after it.

"Monster! Don't let it escape!"

More shouting came from across the village, fuelling the wolf's desperation. Another door opened nearby and Fado stepped out of his home with a pitchfork in hand, squinting through the dark for the threat. The farmer pulled back his tool and threw like a javelin. Link yelped as he felt it barely miss him and he pushed to run faster. More angry yells followed him, still audible as Link retreated into the woods.

He charged across the Farona Bridge, yet Link did not stop running.

The air seemed to get thicker the further he went, and soon it became unnaturally dark. Link felt that he shouldn't be there; that he should turn back; but the shouts from behind pushed him onward. Around the ridge, he then found the barrier of the twilight. The wall was dark as a void and exuded the same strange aura as the wolf had felt before. Link ran to the barrier until he crashed right into it, finding it as solid as stone. Pain riddled his body as he rebounded off onto the ground.

Shaking his head to clear it, Link looked up to find Midna floating before him. He could barely make out her form in the faint orange glow.

"So, you ready to enter the twilight now?" she chimed.

What kind of question was that? He nodded frantically at her as the villager's shouts grow louder. Link imagined a grin on her face as she turned and passed through the wall as if it were water. A second later, a large orange hand shot out and snatched Link up like a toy before pulling back. Link's eyes clenched tightly and he felt an eerie sensation wash over him. Then there was pain as he collided with the ground again.

Link opened his eyes, whining miserably. He was met with a scene of darkened grass and trees under dusky clouds. When the wolf found his feet, a sudden weight crashed onto his back, knocking the wind out of him. He glanced back to see Midna holding the sword and shield. Both were far too heavy for her twiglike arms. Her face contorted into a snarl from the strain of holding them up.

"Damn it!" she swore. "How the bloody hell am I supposed to use these?" The sword dropped from her fingers and almost sliced through Link's foot. Growling, she threw the shield unceremoniously to the ground. She crossed her arms to sulk for a moment before looking at the discarded items again.

"Well, I certainly can't use them," she huffed, "but I'll hold on to them for you." The weapons shattered into dark particles.

"At least I still have my magic, and I can just leave all the fighting to you." She noticed the incredulous look in the wolf's eyes. "And you better protect me if you know what's good for you," she added. "Without me, you'll never be able to find those friends of yours." She then leaned forward until her face was right up to Link's ear.

"Now, if you still want my help, I need you to do something for me in return." He glanced at her, intrigued. "I can't give you all the details at the moment but there are some things I need to collect." She straightened and grabbed his chain. "First, though, we need to find that sorry spirit and recover its light. Now where would it be?"

As she pondered, Link looked back at the barrier. Amazingly it was bright on this side. He couldn't hear anything from the other end. He was safe, from the villagers, at least.

Link's head drooped as his brain ran through what just happened. His father had just called him a monster, and the other villagers had attacked him without a second's thought. And then there was Andel speaking to him. How was he able to understand the horse? Was it because he was an animal as well? It was madness, all of it!

The wolf's tail curled itself between his legs and Link began to tremble. He felt he was crying from the burning in his eyes, yet no tears formed save for a slight build-up of moisture. It was then that he learned that wolves couldn't cry, and that frustrated Link more. This damned form had turned his friends and family against him, and now it prevented him from expressing his sorrow like a normal person.

"Will you stop that!" Midna scolded, annoyed by his shaking. "Get a move on." She kicked at his ribs.

Whimpering, Link marched forward with his head hung low. Rescuing this light spirit was not going to be fun, he knew. Judging by his recent luck, it would involve fighting more monsters and getting kicked a lot.

Why was all of this happening to him?

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I understand that there wasn't too much that was fresh with this or the last one compared to the original game, but I did my best with what I had. Some people may find Link to be a little too dramatic, but let's remember that in this story I am portraying Link to be somewhat naive about the harsh realities of life. ****If anyone has any particular issues then by all means please review.**


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